Faith in Faith
by Lolig
Summary: When sixteen year old Faith Underwood, living under the roof of Zalgo's mansion, stumbles across Slenderman and his family, secrets unfold, lies are told, and the question "Can anyone be trusted?" is always asked.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Slender's Nightmare

Faith

Blood.

There was blood everywhere. The walls, the floor, the bed, all smothered in the red, sticky horror.

There lied my father, my mother, and Casey, my older brother. What happened? I thought. All I could hear was Casey's horrified screaming.

The front door opened, and Slenderman stepped in, followed by two other boys. His nonexistent face was twisted, and I could feel his shock and confusion.

The boys looked just as horrified as I was. One in a yellow hoodie and white mask, the hood barely covering his chestnut-brown hair, had a hand over his stomach, like he was gonna be sick. The other, standing next to the sick boy in the yellow hoodie, had an orange one on. I could barely see his face because the hood was pulled down far, but I could make out a deep red frown.

Slenderman walked to me and lifted me in his arms. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, and I wanted to hug my mother's lifeless body. But my body wouldn't respond. My eyes stayed fixed on the three dead bodies before me. My mouth was pressed in a tight line, showing no emotion.

"Faith," Slenderman said gently. "Faith, are you okay?"

I managed a nod.

Slenderman nodded, his "face" showing one of concern. Then he motioned to the boys, and they all walked out, with me staring at my unfortunate brother for the last time.

Slenderman

It's been three years since the…incident. Faith is going to turn nine tomorrow. Because it was Halloween night, the children are out trick-or-treating, and I am alone for now. My brother, Splendorman, has informed me that he will be coming over before the kids get home.

"You've never let me see Faith before," he complained. "I'm coming, and I don't care what you say."

I did not argue. I found it pointless. And I figured Faith could use a distraction, to help her move on from her parents' and brother's deaths.

The doorbell rang, and I moved to answer it. I opened the door, and my brother stood there, his face shining with a wide grin.

"Hey! Good to see you again, little brother!" Splendorman said happily. He wore his usual black suit, which was, as always, covered in polka dots of many different colors. He had a matching top hat with it, and a blue flower in the breast pocket of his suit. In his large, gloved hands, he held a bunch of balloons, all colors of the rainbow, a bouquet of pink roses, Faith's favorite flower, a grocery bag, and a wrapped present.

I took the bag, set it on the table, and told Splendorman to put the balloons in the back. I reminded myself to keep Faith out until the morning.

"Hello, brother," I said. "What's in the bag?"

"Decorations."

"What for?"

Splendorman's eyes widened in astonishment. "Don't tell me you aren't throwing Faith a party?!" he cried.

"I…well…" I'd never thought about giving her a party. I didn't think she'd want one.

"Every little girl has to have a birthday party," Splendorman continued. "Do you know anything about children?" Before I could answer, he stopped me. "Don't answer that," he said, annoyed.

"Alright. When do you want this set up?" I asked instead.

"Well, I was thinking Laughing Jack could take Faith out back for a while after lunch. Then, while she's outside, we'll set up. You can telepathically send L.J. a message to bring her in, then we'll surprise her." Splendorman clapped his hands in excitement, his smile widening. "Slender, she'll love it!"

"Alright. I agree. She will."

"I'll put these with the balloons," he said, carrying the flowers, decorations, and present into the back.

The door opened, and there were sounds of kids laughing. The children had returned.

"Slender!" Hoodie yelled. "We're back!"

"Take your candy to your rooms, and hang out upstairs until eleven o'clock. No fighting or trading, Masky!" I yelled back. "Oh, Faith! Come here a moment!"

"Coming, Slenderman!" Faith called, then skipped into the room. She had a black dress on, and her blond hair was in tight curls. She had light makeup on her face, making her look pale and tired. She had plastic fangs in one hand, and a bag of candy in her other hand. She told me she had wanted to be a vampire this year, so I made her into a vampire princess. She loved the costume.

My shoulders slumped, and I sighed and chuckled. "You look so cute," I said.

Faith put her candy bag and teeth on the ground and curtsied. The gesture made me laugh, and I bowed back. "Your royal vampiress," I smiled. She couldn't see it, but I could tell she knew I was smiling.

"What is it, master Slenderman?" she asked sweetly, her tone mixed with the regalia of a princess.

"I want you to meet someone," I said, and picked her up. "My older brother, Splendorman."

As if anticipating the introduction, my brother walked into the room and gasped. "Aww! Look at you! You look so adorably terrifying!" He flicked one of Faith's curls and tweaked her nose. Faith giggled and waved shyly.

"She's adorable!" Splendorman fawned. He pulled the flower out of his breast pocket and handed it to her. "To her majesty, the princess of vampires."

Faith took it, smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Splendorman," she whispered shyly.

"Alright Faith, go on upstairs now," I said, putting her down.

"Aww, let me hug her first. Please?" Splendorman asked.

Faith ran to him and he hugged her tightly. She pretended to bite his neck, and he gasped and choked dramatically. The act made Faith giggle, and he set her down. He flicked another curl, then tickled her stomach. Faith laughed, then picked up her bag and fake teeth, and ran to her room.

"Well, I'm calling it a night," I said, stretching.

"Alright. Sleep well, brother."

"You too. Don't let the children stay up past eleven."

"I won't," Splendorman laughed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Hoodie

Waking up the next morning, I went downstairs for breakfast. I was really happy. Today was Faith's birthday, and I was going to ask Slender if we could buy her presents. I saw something online about a really cute rag doll. It looked perfect.

I walked into the dining room. Faith wasn't awake yet, and everyone was talking. "What's going on?" I asked a tad groggily.

"We're throwing Faith a birthday party," Masky whispered. "But we have to pretend we forgot. Laughing Jack's gonna play with her after lunch, and we're gonna set up. Wanna go get a present?"

"Yes," I whispered back immediately.

"Okay," Slender said. He pulled out a few dollars in cash, and handed it to Masky. "Nothing too expensive, got it?"

"Yes, sir," I said. The doll I wanted to get Faith was only two dollars. It was perfect.

"Go, and hurry," he said, and Masky, Laughing Jack and I raced out the door.

It took us twenty minutes to get there and back with our things. We all had our presents, and Slender quickly took them to the back. Faith had woken up, and we pretended we didn't know it was her birthday. We talked to her like normal, then left her to play. Like any normal day.

Soon, Faith started to get sad. She wouldn't say why, but we knew. She thought we forgot about her birthday this year.

After lunch, Laughing Jack took Faith outside while the rest of us set up decorations. Eyeless Jack put up streamers. Masky set the table, and put the pink roses in the center. Slender placed the balloons around the house and baked the cake. Splendor set things up for snacks and games, and I placed the presents in a clever hiding spot for later, then helped wherever I could.

Once everything was set up nicely, Slender turned the lights off. "Hide everyone," he said quietly.

We all hid, and the back door opened. Footsteps. They're getting closer.

"Where is everybody?" Faith asked.

The lights turned on again. "SURPRISE!" We all jumped up and yelled the word so loud, Faith cried out. Then she smiled and jumped up and down excitedly, squealing in delight.

"Happy ninth birthday, Faith!" Splendorman yelled.

"Yeah. Happy birthday!" Eyeless Jack joined in.

"Ready guys?" I yelled, smiling broadly. "One, two, three!"

We all started to sing "Happy Birthday To You" to Faith, who was so happy, she was laughing a lot.

When the party had ended, the decorations had been put away, and the games had been played, Faith opened her final present: mine. I watched with anticipation as she tore the wrapping paper away. Her eyes widened in joy. "It's the Raggedy Anne doll!" she cried.

"Do you like it?" I asked, nervous.

"I love it!" Faith hugged the doll close to her chest. I sighed in relief. I did it. I got her another good gift.

"Thank you, Hoodie."

"Yeah, no problem. You looked interested in it, so I got it this morning."

"Well, who wants cake?" Slender asked, bringing in the pretty chocolate cake with Faith's name written prettily in blue frosting. We all dug in, laughing and sharing stories until dark.

Masky

When everything settled down, Splendor walked out of Faith's room, smiling. "She's asleep now," he told me. "With Hoodie's little Raggedy Anne doll held close. She loves that thing."

"My brother's got a way with her," I said with a shrug. "Always knows what she wants."

"He's smart. You on guard duty tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to bed."

"Alright. Night, Splendorman."

"See ya tomorrow, Masky." Splendorman walked away towards his room.

I walked down the stairs and checked the rooms on the first floor. Everything was in order. Eyeless Jack was fast asleep, the kitchen intact, etcetera. I figured it was going to just be an ordinary night.

Then I heard the crashing and banging from upstairs.

I ran upstairs and checked all the rooms. When I came to Faith's, I ran in. L.J. was unconscious. The entire room had been trashed. The covers were torn off the bed. And all that was left was a little Raggedy Anne doll, lying face down on the floor, but no little girl holding it. Faith was missing.

"Faith!" I yelled, desperately trying to find her. I saw a shadow out of the window for the briefest of seconds, then it was gone.

"SLENDER!" I screamed. Slender was there in a minute, looking around the room with the same shock as when Faith's family died.

"Faith…" he started. Then he turned to the wall, where a message, written in a black, inky substance, stated: SHE'S MINE.


	2. Chapter 1

Part 1

Do you remember me…Faith?

Chapter 1

Slenderman

My head lifted, and I was suddenly wide awake. "Faith?" I looked around, hoping to find her standing there, giggling at me, the way she always did when I woke up. Instead, I found an empty office. My empty office.

I sighed. "I should really start sleeping in my own room again," I said, standing. I looked at the framed photograph on my desk of the nine-year-old Faith. She held her little Raggedy Anne doll that Hoodie, one of my proxies, had given her. That was nearly seven years ago.

Faith would be sixteen now. If I could find out where she was, and who had written that dreaded message on the wall. I wanted my little goddaughter back. I wanted her back so much, it hurt.

I looked away from the photo and opened my office door. I walked downstairs to the kitchen, made breakfast, and waited for the others to come downstairs.

Hoodie and Masky, my two twin proxies, came down first. Ticci Toby, my most recent proxy, followed behind them. They said a groggy "good morning" and sat down to eat. Eyeless Jack and Laughing Jack came in a few minutes later, followed by Ben Drowned, Jeffery Woods and his dog, Smile, Jane Everlasting, and little Sally Williams.

I looked at all my children. Hoodie wore an orange hoodie so low his face was almost invisible. But you could make out a ski mask with red eyes and a mouth cut out. The mouth moved with his mood, but the eyes, did not. Hoodie was sixteen years old.

Masky, his twin brother, had an identical yellow hoodie and a white mask with black eyes cut out and lips drawn on in a frown. He had tufts of chestnut brown hair sticking out of his hood, which, like Hoodie's, was always pulled up over his head.

Ticci Toby had a blue jacket and orange goggles, with blue jeans and walnut brown hair. His two hatchets sat next to his chair, one still old and rusted. He was seventeen.

Jeffery Woods, known as Jeff the Killer to the public, had a white jacket, jeans, and jet black hair, singed when he had been burned. He had scars around his mouth from where he had slit the skin, making a permanent smile, and lidless eyes. He had burned them off, so he could always see. His usual kitchen knife sat next to him. He never let it out of his sight. He was seventeen as well.

Jane sat next to him, her black wig held beautifully on her head. Jane wore a black dress and white mask, with black eyes cut out and perfect, black lips painted on nicely. She still hated Jeff for killing her family and burning her to hideousness, but she did love the dress and mask. It looked good on her pale skin. She was sixteen.

Eyeless Jack ate quietly, his blue mask pushed aside slightly so he could eat. He wore a black hoodie and jeans and his eye sockets still dripped a black, tar-like substance. Nobody knows how it happened. He always carried a scalpel up his sleeve, for protection. He was also fifteen.

Laughing Jack was a monochrome clown. He wore striped clothes, only in black, white and grey, with feathers on the shoulders, also monochrome. His arms reached down to his knees instead of his thighs, and his long, black hair, pointed teeth and black-and-white striped cone nose made him look dark and menacing. He'd been around for years, so nobody knows how old he is.

Ben Drowned wore Legend of Zelda style clothing, all green, with blond hair and black eyes with glowing red pupils in the center, making him look equally menacing. His ears were pointed, like an elf, and he was only slightly taller than Sally. He was as ageless as L.J., being only a pixelated glitch on a bad game console, but could pass for seventeen.

Sally sat next to me, her long, chocolate brown hair hanging behind her. She had big, pretty green eyes, and a pink nightgown. Her story was equally horrifying. She had been "killed" by her uncle, who was a total child pedophile. She was eight years old.

Smile, Jeff's also ageless dog, lay at his feet, begging for scraps. His coat old but clean, he looked like the cleanest dead dog in existence.

Everyone ate, but I wasn't paying attention. I was still thinking of Faith, remembering how little she was when she was stolen from my mansion. How she would always smile at me, making my heart leap with her always-happy attitude. How the proxies and the other creepypastas would play with her outside, and they'd always come inside smiling. The jokes they played on each other and me, the holidays they spent together…

"Slender!" Jeff yelled, snapping me out of my trance.

"What?" I said, my head suddenly erect.

"You alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine," I answered, rubbing my nonexistent eyes.

"L.J. and I are gonna go for a walk. Is that okay?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, yes. Go. That's alright. Just be back by lunch."

"Okay. Let me get my coat, L.J."

"Yeah. Alright," L.J. said.

The boys stood up, put their plates in the sink, and walked out the door. They seemed quieter. Why did I suddenly get a strange feeling they were up to something?

Laughing Jack

Jeff and I calmly closed the door to the large, black mansion, then turned and ran. We ran until we couldn't see it anymore. Then, after a few more seconds, we stopped to catch our breath.

"You…think…he suspected…anything?" I asked, straightening.

"Well…he didn't stop…us," Jeff said. He wiped sweat from his forehead and sighed. "You sure this is right?"

"Well, no. But I did warn you, it's only a hunch," I answered. "You asked to come. You were pretty dead set on meeting this girl."

Jeff rolled his lidless eyes. "Just show me the stupid house." I had recently discovered another mansion on the other side of the forest, and Jeff was the only guy I told about it.

"Alright," I said. "Come on."

Jeff nodded and ran behind me all the way to a house that belong to another creepypasta by the name of Zalgo.

Faith

I stared at the photo of my father, mother, older brother, and me standing in our backyard. We had hired a photographer to take that photo. We looked so happy.

I couldn't remember much from my past after they all died, except when I saw them and when I heard a boy calling my name. I couldn't remember who the boy was, though. I then remembered being kidnapped and tortured by that monster, the Slenderman, and his "family". I sneered at that thought, then softened when I thought of how Godfather saved me.

I pushed those thoughts aside and got dressed. Today felt like a skirt day, so I put on a shortish skirt and a T-shirt. I slid on my favorite boots and put my long, blond hair up in a ponytail.

Suddenly there was a knock at my door. Everyone here had a unique knock, and the one I heard was three sets of two knocks. Knock-knock, knock-knock, knock-knock. I knew who it was. It was the new proxy, Sonic .exe . He was our most recent edition to our team. My godfather, Zalgo was always trying to find new recruits, so we could rise up and take down the Slenderman. He killed my parents, and tried to kidnap and possibly kill me. I've been tracking them, but haven't found a location yet. I didn't even know what he looked like.

I said nothing, finished putting my hair up and walked to the door. When I opened it, there was no one there. I looked around, and noticed walking down the stairs, toward Zalgo's chamber. I closed my door and followed him downstairs. He turned around and saw me, putting a startled hand to his chest. "Faith," he said. "You startled me. I thought you were asleep."

I laughed. "Going to check in with Godfather?" I asked.

"Yep," he said. "You should get some breakfast."

I walked into the kitchen and made myself breakfast. I had learned to cook several dishes over the years. Mostly cookbooks, websites, and curiosity. I try new things almost everyday. I've learned every dish in the cookbooks Godfather keeps around. He likes the food I cook, but never acknowledges anything else I do. He's always training me hard, making sure I have good reflexes and my senses are heightened, so I can sense even the slightest of movements.

I finish my breakfast and went to Godfather's chamber. I knocked my special knock. Knock-knock-knock, knock, knock.

"Yes, Faith? What is it, my child?" came his deep, pleasant voice.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. It's nice outside."

"Of course, darling. Don't stay out too long. Training at noon."

"Yes, Godfather," I answered, stepping down the hall toward the front doors. I walked outside and took a deep breath. The air was cool, but the sun shone brightly, warming my skin. The grass swayed a little bit as a gentle breeze blew through it.

I stepped off the porch and walked into the woods. The trees shielded me in a darker realm, and I thought back to when I was a child, before Godfather took me in. Casey, my brother, used to take me to the woods and tell me tales of ogres, fairies, and ghosts. We'd play games about them in our backyard.

The memory made me laugh aloud. I was so naïve, I had no idea of the dangers the woods could hold. Godfather told me the Slenderman lived here, but I couldn't find where they lived.

I didn't know how far I'd gone or how long I'd been walking, but I noticed something odd. Something had dropped to the ground in front of me. Confused, I picked it up and studied it. It was a piece of…candy?

Confused, I looked up. In the branch above me, there was a small plastic sandwich bag. I climbed the tree and grabbed the bag. It was filled with candy. Lollipops, chocolate, and Lemonheads filled the bag. All the things I loved.

I took out a piece of chocolate and popped it into my mouth. It was delicious, and I couldn't help but smile. I didn't remember the last time I'd gotten so much candy. I guess it must have been from when the Skin Taker smuggled me some over the holidays when Godfather wasn't looking. I took the bag with me as I continued to walk.

Suddenly, the world started to spin. I stopped and blinked a few times. I felt strangely tired, and the bag of candy slipped from my fingers. I tried to walk again, but I fell to the ground. I barely felt the impact. I rolled onto my back with whatever strength I had left and stared up at the sky.

"She got it. Nice work," a voice said. It sounded faint and far away.

"I told you it would work. Come on, let's get her to the mansion," came another voice. Then the last thing I remember was two figures coming my way, one of them, he looked like a clown, picked me up and continued walking. It was then that the world went black.

A/N: So the first chapter's up! Let me know what you think and if you guys want more. PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Faith

When I came to, I found myself in a chair. A comfortable chair in what looked to be an average sized living room, a bit bigger compared to the one back at Godfather's mansion. And a lot more warm and friendly, like a very rich family lived here. I couldn't tell.

I wasn't tied up, so my kidnappers mustn't be very smart. I stood up and searched for a way out. I walked toward an opening, which led me to a kitchen and dining room. Again, very warm, roomy, comfortable. I felt like I knew this place. There wasn't anyone around, and that was a bit unsettling.

Turning left, I found myself face to face with the front doors. Confused, I cocked an eyebrow. This is too easy, I thought. So…what's the catch?

I walked to the doors and pulled one of the handles. It didn't open. I looked for a lock. Clicked it. Tried again. Not an inch.

Confusion and a bit of panic settling in, I desperately tugged the handle. The door just wouldn't open.

"You honestly thought I would make it so easy for you?" a voice boomed over a sort of PA system.

I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. I found nothing. Nobody. I was alone. So who said that?

"Who's there?" I asked, surprising myself with my even tone of voice, despite the panic settling into my nerves.

"An old friend, Faith. I'm saddened you don't remember us. But we can help you with that. We can set you free."

"Or, you can let me go, and I won't tell Godfather that you kidnapped me, and he won't find you. That way, nobody gets hurt." I smiled like a flight attendant at an angered customer.

"Is that what he forces you to call him?" A different voice this time. "'Godfather?' Oh, my dear. He isn't your godfather. I am."

"Who are you?" I demanded, hand going down to my knife holster in my left boot. The small butterfly knife was still there, so I whipped it out quickly and looked around one more time. "Who are you?" I repeated.

A pause. "Go to the back door," the first voice simply said. "Open it, and walk outside. Stand on the back porch and await instructions. Do it, and I'll tell you who I am."

I did as the voice instructed, confusion and a little bit of fear and distrust settled into my gut.

Laughing Jack

"You honestly thought I'd make it so easy for you?" I said over the PA system as I watched Faith try to open the front door through the security cameras. Ben had recently installed the PA system, so Slender wouldn't have to yell to get our attention when he wanted it. Or send painful static to our brains. I winced as I thought about the last time I had gotten a taste of that static. I still had a bit of a migraine from it, and the metallic taste still hasn't gone away yet.

Slender and I sat in his office, watching Faith. He'd gotten all worked up when I brought Faith home. I swear, if he had eyes, he would have been crying to see his goddaughter. Everyone who hadn't seen her in years was happy. But when I told them where she was, their faces dropped.

"Who's there?" Faith asked, looking around.

"An old friend, Faith. I'm saddened you don't remember us. But we can help you with that. We can set you free."

"Are you sure this'll work, L.J.?" Slender asked, concern setting into his voice as it projected in my mind. That's how he speaks. Slender doesn't have a mouth, but he can talk to us telepathically. His voice is heard in our minds. It's kind of cool.

"I'm sure. Trust me. I've known this girl since she was a kid, a little more than you did, Slender. I've got this."

"Or," Faith said, "you can let me go, and I won't tell Godfather that you kidnapped me, and he won't find you."

"Oh, God." Slender's voice was now one of hurt. He stepped forward and gazed hard at Faith. I heard his voice being projected into Faith's mind. "Is that what he forces you to call him? Godfather?" I tuned out, watching Faith stiffen.

"Who are you?" she screamed, whipping out a butterfly knife.

"Slender, relax. Let me handle this. Don't get all worked up. It's not healthy. Relax and let me take care of this." I turned back to the microphone and spoke again. According to plan, I thought.

"Go to the back door. Open it, and walk outside. Stand on the back porch and await instructions. Do it, and I'll tell you who I am."

Faith hesitated, then obeyed. I turned off the microphone and tapped on my Bluetooth. "Ben, she's headed your way."

"Copy," Ben said.

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Slender asked.

"No. I swear on the River…what was it called again?"

Slender moved his head in an equivalent to him rolling his eyes. "The River Styx. You should really pay attention to the myths I tell you and the other children."

"I swear on the River Styx, may Zeus strike me dead with a lightning bolt or whatever. Anyway, Faith will not be seriously injured." I held my hand up as if taking an oath, and looked at him hard.

Slender looked like he was about to speak again, but he stopped and nodded reluctantly. "Okay, but if there's one cut too deep, I swear, a grounding will be the least of your worries."

"'May Zeus strike me dead with a lightning bolt,' I said." I turned back to the cameras and watched Faith stop and wait on the front porch.

Ben Drowned

I watched as a girl with blond hair tied back in a ponytail, blue eyes, short skirt and T-shirt walk out, her black combat boots tapping the floor silently. She looked great, very pretty, and I resisted a whistle. I slunk down from the tree and walked behind her, as Laughing Jack and Jeff had told me to do, and stood close. I held a stick to her back, making it feel like I had a weapon. The girl stiffened, and I spoke, my voice soft.

"Don't make any sudden moves," I said. "Just walk."

The girl nodded. She stepped off the front porch and walked, with me giving her directions as L.J. spoke them through the Bluetooth in my ear. I had a camera attached to my shirt collar, so he and Slender could watch Faith's movements, sense her emotions, and maybe, bring her back to us.

"Left," he said.

"Left," I repeated.

"Okay, now go straight, then turn left again at that giant willow tree. If she stops, let her. That was little Faith's favorite tree."

I pulled out my phone and texted my computer, where L.J. was. "This is Faith?"

"Yep," he spoke into my ear.

"Okay, now go left."

"Wait," Faith said, pausing. We were standing at the willow tree, and Faith was staring right at it. She looked like she was trying to remember something.

"I think she's remembering," L.J. said. "Slender said she feels confused. She's picking her brain for some kind of memory—oh no…"

"What?" I texted. "What is it?"

"She remembers…being hung and tortured from the tree. Ropes, binding her wrists and ankles. Lashings, 'punishments', horrible things. I…oh god. This isn't good."

"I…" Faith started, then dropped to her knees and wept. "What do you want from me?" she moaned. "Please, just let me go home! I won't tell Godfather, promise. Just don't do this again, please!" Her words were drowned out by moaning and crying. I suddenly felt sad. Slender was probably heartbroken.

"Ben, get her up." Slender's voice was surprisingly strong. "Continue as planned."

Nodding, I gently helped Faith to her feet, not letting her see me. Then, I waited for instructions.

"Okay, go left here, then continue straight. You'll find my amusement park. Once there, find my House of Mirrors. Take her there, then leave her inside. Jeff will take her from there."

I did as instructed, closing the door behind Faith, who was still trembling and sobbing pitifully.

"And you are positive this is going to work?" I asked, tapping my Bluetooth.

"Positive," L.J. said, the usual silliness back in his voice, and I imagined his usual giddy self relaxed and smiling. "It'll work. Promise. And she won't get hurt too bad. Any injuries will not be our fault."

"It had better," I said. Then I changed the subject. "I don't like this 'Godfather'. He doesn't seem like a nice guy."

"I agree. But, we'll see how it goes. Come on back. It's almost time for the show," L.J. said, and I trudged back to the mansion, hoping against hope that Faith comes back home, and everyone will be happy again. But I hold on. I have faith in Faith.

Jeff the Killer

I heard the sobbing even before I heard L.J.'s voice.

"She's coming," he said.

"Okay." I ran to hide. I knew what I was supposed to do. I was determined to bring Faith back. For poor Slender. L.J. told me that he was broken-hearted when she disappeared. He wanted her back so much, and we could all tell he was upset.

My train of thought was interrupted when the door to the House of Mirrors opened suddenly.

Sobbing.

A voice. Ben's voice. "Go in," he said.

"Please, just let me go home," came a girl's voice. Faith, I thought. Must be her.

"Go. In," Ben repeated sternly. Faith hesitantly stepped inside the dark House of Mirrors, and Ben closed the door behind her. I heard a soft thump as Faith collapsed to her knees and began to cry again. Her soft weeping made my heart sink. She must be terrified, poor thing. I felt sorry for her. But I had to stick to the plan. If we were going to do this, I couldn't get sidetracked.

"Stand up," I whispered. Then, feeling bad, I added, "Please."

"Who…who's there?" Faith managed.

"You'll see soon. Now please, stand up." I decided to talk nicely to her.

She obeyed, and I stepped toward her. I kept my knife in its holster, and carefully made sure she couldn't see me clearly.

"Who are you?" Faith asked.

"I told you, you'll see soon." I pulled out my flashlight and held it out to her. "Now, if you really want to know, take this, count to five, then come and find me."

Faith reached out and took the flashlight. When it slipped from my hand, Faith took a deep breath.

"O-one," she stammered. I turned and ran silently, moving steadily, with the agility of a cat.

"Two," Faith counted, her voice growing a bit steadier.

Tapping my Bluetooth, I spoke to L.J. "She's ready. The photos are in place. She'll find them. Is Slender ready to go?"

"He's practically dying over here." A pause. "Ow! Okay! Sorry. Yeah, he's ready."

I stifled a smirk. "Static again?"

"Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

"Five," I heard Faith say.

"Gotta go," I said, running to hide. I found a space between two mirrors. I hid there and waited. Along the way, I had set up little cameras. I pulled out my cell phone, turned it on, and looked at the cameras, waiting for Faith to pass in front of one.

Faith

"Five," I said, my voice stronger now. I pulled my knife out of my boot again, turned on the flashlight the stranger had given me, and started to walk. I didn't want to play this stupid, psychotic game of hide and seek, but I didn't have any other choice.

Shining the flashlight around, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. With a gasp, I turned and found…me. It was my reflection in a huge mirror. In fact, there were tens, maybe a hundred reflections of me. I must be in a giant House of Mirrors. I sighed and kept going, checking every corner. If these guys wanted to play games, fine. I'll play along.

Another curious sight caught my eye. Attached to another mirror was a small piece of paper. Walking toward it, I plucked it off of the mirror and looked at it, placing my knife handle in my mouth, careful not to cut my mouth. It was a photograph. The photo had a little girl holding a Raggedy Anne doll in it. She had blond hair and blue eyes, and she looked like a littler version of me, maybe nine years old. Something clicked in my mind. I remembered holding a Raggedy Anne doll on a birthday, then lost it. I couldn't remember where I'd lost it.

I pocketed the photo, put my knife back into my hand and kept going. I found another photo a minute later. The same little girl was in it, but she was a little younger, seven or eight years old. She was laughing in the arms of a monochrome clown, who looked to be tickling her. I didn't remember this, but something in the back of my mind told me I should, that the little girl was me.

Pocketing the photo, I continued. More photos as I passed. My fear gave way to confusion. I walked for a while, my own reflection occasionally scaring me a bit.

Finally, I made it to a large room, with mirrors surrounding me. Looking around made me feel dizzy.

There was a figure standing before me. I couldn't see him well, but when I shone my flashlight on him I saw that he was wearing a white hoodie and jeans. He had a knife in a small holster in his jeans, but he never went for it. He kept his hands where I could see them. I moved the flashlight up to his face, and he blocked it from his eyes and cringed. He had no eyelids, or else he would have blinked. He had black hair and a pale face, and his lips looked like they were extended too far. His cheeks were jaggedly cut into a permanent smile, and it was almost terrifying to look at him. But I ignored it and stood my ground.

"Who are you?" I asked, cursing my voice for shaking.

"I'm new," he said. "You don't know me, but you know our…uh…I guess you could say he's our father, in a weird kind of way."

"Father?" I asked. "Who's your father?"

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a figure appeared in front of me, standing next to the boy. It was tall, really tall, with a lovely black suit and red tie. The thing had long, inky black tendrils slinking around behind it. But that's not what shocked me. The tall, well-dressed figure had no face. Where it should be was an empty, white canvas, void of emotions and facial features. And yet, I could…feel its mood. The figure seemed anxious, maybe even a bit cautious.

"What is that?" I demanded.

The figure's aura seemed to turn to one of pain and sadness. "My child. My goddaughter, it's me." Its voice seemed to speak in my mind, and my hold on the flashlight shook.

"What are you?!" I demanded again, my voice quivering in fear.

"I am the Slenderman," the figure said. "I am the one Zalgo is forcing you to track down. I am the one you're supposed to kill. I am—"

"No!" I screamed, dropping my knife. "No, no, no, no! Please, NO!" I sank to my knees and the tall thing continued.

"It's okay," Slenderman said, walking towards me. He lifted my face with one of his long, thin hands, then pressed two fingers on each hand to my temples. "Just relax, and hold still. All of this will end very soon, I promise."

As the last word penetrated my mind, a wave of static shook my brain. It was subtle at first, then grew stronger, more painful, and the sound was like static from an old television set. The taste of metal filled my mouth. I screamed in pain, eyes tearing, then once again the world went dark.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Faith

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a brightly lit operating room, like one you'd see in a very small hospital. Looking around, I saw a tall, teenage boy who looked a year younger than me. He had a black hoodie and blue jeans on, and a blue mask. The eyes in the mask revealed deep, black sockets occasionally dripping a thick, tar-like substance. He was putting a pair of surgical scissors back on a table beside him when he looked up at me.

"Oh, hey," he said proudly, straightening. "You're finally awake."

I immediately began to struggle, and the boy held me back, muttering calm assurances to me. "Hey, relax. It's okay. Hold on, I didn't hurt you, I swear."

When I finally stopped struggling, he spoke again. "Check out your leg."

I looked down. I had been training with Godfather the week before and had gotten my leg cut deeply. Dr. Smiley had clumsily stitched me up, and we had to drain it every day, due to infections in the wound. I expected to see it worse than ever, but it looked…clean. The stitching was fixed and it didn't look all nasty. In fact, the scar appeared to be disappearing.

"Woah," I breathed, reaching down and stroking the scar. No pain.

"Yeah, it looked awful when I started. All infected and gross. The scar should go away in a week."

Then I remembered. I wasn't at home. "Where am I?" I asked, snapping my head up to look at the stranger.

"Oh, I forgot. You still don't remember, do you?" The stranger's body language told me that he was upset and confused at the same time. I couldn't blame him.

I shook my head. "Remember what?" I asked.

Before the boy could speak, a voice boomed over a loud speaker. "Eyeless Jack, please come down to breakfast," it boomed calmly.

"Oh, that's Slender," the boy said, answering the obvious question on my face. "Come on, let's go get food."

He stood up and walked to a cabinet. When he opened it, I noticed he had a small freezer full of…kidneys in it. Confused, I stared at the boy for a long time. Something flashed through my mind. A boy of about eight sitting next to me, eating something that looked like a weird kind of meat. He laughed at me, and reached over, poking me in the arm. I remembered playing in a backyard, chasing him, laughing, playing without a care in the world.

Suspicious of Eyeless Jack still, I carefully and slowly picked up a scalpel off the table next to me. He motioned for me to follow him, and stopped me in front of the door.

"Alright, give it here," he murmured warningly.

Scowling, I put the scalpel into his hand. How he knew I had it in the first place I will never know. He must have heard me pick it up somehow, or maybe smelled the metal. When one is blind, their other senses are heightened, so both were possibilities.

He put the scalpel on the table and then led me down a set of stairs toward a dining room. I remembered it from when I first arrived here, but I felt more comfortable now. As if I belonged here. The memory of the boy sitting next to me returned, along with other ones.

Looking around at the people in the dining room, I recognized a few from files I had studied. There was one with jet black hair and a white hoodie with jeans. He had a distinct, carved-in, wide smile across his face. Jeffery Woods, or as most of you may know him as, Jeff the Killer.

There were three boys sitting down. One had an orange hoodie and a ski mask with a red mouth cut out of it. The boy sitting next to him looked like his twin, and had a yellow jacket, chestnut brown hair and a white mask. The third had a blue jacket and orange goggles. The twins looked to be sixteen, and the one in the blue looked about seventeen. I recognized them immediately. Hoodie, Masky and Ticci Toby. They were proxies of the Slenderman.

There were two girls to my left. One was dressed all in black, and I knew her as Jane Everlasting. She was Jeff's mortal enemy. So why was she in the same room with him?

The other girl had a green jacket, which brought out her bright green eye. I say "eye" because the other socket had a small clock in it. She also had stitches running up her lips in a wide smile that looked cleaner, nicer than Jeff's. Clockwork, I thought instantly.

As I looked around, I picked out Ben, Laughing Jack, and a couple of "ponypastas". Pinkamena Diane Pie, and Slaughtershy. There was a little girl there too. She looked about eight years old. She wasn't eating or talking. She was drawing a picture, humming happily. I didn't know who she was. I sat next to her and looked at what she was drawing. Maybe I could start a conversation with her, and figure out her name.

The drawing showed a tall, faceless man holding the hand of a little girl. I assumed the little girl in the drawing was her. They were standing in front of a big house, and I could only assume that that was this mansion.

"Who's that?" I asked, pointing to the little girl in the drawing and pretending that I had no idea.

"That's me," the little girl replied, smiling at me.

"And what's your name?"

"Sally," she replied. "What's yours?"

"Faith," I replied.

"What a pretty name!" Sally said happily.

I nodded. "And who is that?" I asked, pointing to the tall, faceless man.

The little girl looked over my shoulder and grinned broadly. "Daddy Slender!" she cried. Sally jumped off of her chair and ran towards the dining room entrance. I turned and saw him. The Slenderman. When Sally said his name, everyone else turned and said good morning to him. Most were smiling as they said it, others still sounded tired.

"Sally!" I heard him cry as he picked the little girl up in his long, thin arms, hugging her tightly. "Did you sleep well, little one?"

"Uh-huh!" Sally giggled. "Look at her. That's Faith."

The Slenderman looked in my direction, then locked eyes with me. "Faith, huh?" His voice projected into not only Sally's, but mine too. I felt as though his words were penetrating all the minds of those in the room with me.

"What's wrong?" Sally asked.

"Nothing, sweetheart," he said lovingly. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah," Ben piped in. "I gave her a few waffles before Toby took all of them."

"Thank you," Slender answered. Then he set Sally down and walked to the kitchen.

I saw something sharp move out of the corner of my eye, and turned my head to see a knife sitting right in front of me. I looked from the knife to the retreating Slenderman, then back to the knife. I smiled. This is just too easy, I thought. I slowly got out of my seat, then swiftly took the knife and lunged at the tall, thin, faceless man.

I raised the knife to stab him in the back, and heard a voice cry, "SLENDER, LOOK OUT!"

Suddenly, my wrist felt like it had been slammed against a brick wall.

Pain shot up my arm and I almost cried out. The Slenderman held my wrist tightly, almost effortlessly in his thin and bony hands, his slender fingers squeezing it to keep the tip of the knife from piercing his perfect black suit. He radiated warning, with a slight tinge of anger and hurt.

I strained as hard as I could, trying to thrust the knife into him, murder in my eyes, but he squeezed tighter.

I heard footsteps behind me, quiet ones, as if the person behind me was trying to snag me by surprise. I waited until they got close enough, then jumped up, grabbed Slenderman's shoulder with my free hand, and kicked backwards. My foot connected, and I heard a cry of pain and surprise, then someone slumped to the floor. I wrenched my wrist from Slenderman's grip and turned so I was facing all of my kidnappers. The one I had kicked was Masky. He was holding his forehead in pain, but his mask looked to still be intact. Not a scratch. The others looked at me in wonder, and Sally ran to the Slenderman. He hid her protectively behind his legs, and Sally looked at me in horror. Hoodie ran to his brother, and Jeff was glaring at me.

"What the hell is going on?" I screamed. "What's do you guys want?!"

The Slenderman walked forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned the knife to slice his wrist, hopefully severing the hand, but he blocked it, knocking the knife away. It clattered to the floor and Jeff reached to pick it up.

"You still don't remember, do you?" The featureless man asked softly.

"Remember what?" I snapped.

He sighed, shook his head, and hugged me. He wrapped his arms around me, and it felt…nice. It was warm and comfortable, and he was gentle and kind. I felt myself relax, and I leaned on him so I wouldn't fall.

Calmly stroking my hair, the Slenderman continued. "Us, my child. You don't remember all of us. The true story. Do you remember me...Faith?"

I was about to ask what he was talking about, but Laughing Jack chimed in before I could speak.

"Zalgo isn't your godfather," he said. "Slender is. He always has been. Zalgo kidnapped you when your parents died. They wiped your wonderful, fun memories of us away, replacing them with nightmarish, horrific memories of torture and fear. He trained you to hate us. He wanted you all to himself, so he could use you to kill all of us."

I was shocked. "You're…you're lying."

Laughing Jack shook his head. "No, I'm not. I was there when your mom called him and told him the good news. Slender looked so happy. The little girl he'd come to know and love was his own goddaughter. So technically, you're my god-sister, or something like that. Anyway, Zalgo was mad, so he killed your parents and brother before kidnapping and brainwashing you into thinking that we were the bad guys."

"No…n-no. That's not true. Godfather wouldn't hurt me or my family. You're all liars!" I started to kick and struggle against the Slenderman's embrace. He held me tighter, and that static in my head from before came back. I sagged and my eyes teared up.

"Calm yourself, Faith Underwood," Slenderman said sternly. He let me go and knelt down in front of me, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Think hard. Try to remember when you were young."

"I…I…" I tried really hard to remember anything from my childhood, but I only saw darkness, torture, and tears.

"Try harder," Slenderman said softly. "Think hard. What happened to you after the death of your family?"

I thought harder. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. I could feel the others staring at me in hope, confusion, and fear.

"I remember…" I started. "I remember hearing a boy calling my name."

I heard someone cry out for joy. "She remembers me!" the voice said shakily. I opened my eyes to see Hoodie holding his brother Masky. "You remember!"

I forced a smile to make him feel better, then turned back to Slenderman. "I remember being rushed out, and screaming for help." I stopped myself. I didn't remember that before.

"What else?" Slenderman asked, not taking his hands off my shoulders.

"Um…I remember…a dark room, being scared, calling for my mother, then…" I gasped and fell back. "A needle! I remember a needle! I remember Zalgo, he was holding the needle! He did this to me! Oh, God! He kidnapped me and did this to me!"

Slenderman took me in his arms. I didn't realize I was crying until Laughing Jack handed me a tissue. I took it and dried my eyes.

"It's okay," Jeff said as softly as he could manage. "You're safe now. That bastard can't hurt you anymore. Not as long as we're here."

Sally walked over to me shyly, and put a hand on my back. I closed my eyes as memories suddenly flooded my head. The photos I saw in the House of Mirrors became movies, playing through my head as though they had only happened yesterday.

I heard someone clear their throat. My eyes opened to see Hoodie standing there, holding a little Raggedy Ann doll. I stood up and took the doll. I stared at her smiling face for a while, remembering the first time I looked at it. My ninth birthday party, I thought.

Tears fell faster down my cheeks, and I held the doll close to my chest, sobbing like a child. Hoodie hugged me tightly.

"You remember?" he asked. When I nodded, he continued. "When you first saw it on TV, I knew you'd love it if you got it as a present. It was the perfect gift. After you disappeared, I kept it. I never let anyone touch it. I looked at that doll every day, hoping someday you'd come back."

"Thank you," I choked out, then turned back to Slenderman. "I…I'm home."

Sally ran forth and jumped into my arms. I embraced her and looked around at all my old and new friends. They all smiled at me, or their body language portrayed happiness. I shook hands with and hugged the people I haven't met yet, and said my hellos to my old friends. Eyeless Jack, Hoodie, Masky, and Ben hugged me and told me how great it was to have me back. Laughing Jack wrapped me in his long arms and tickled me, telling me he was "punishing me for scaring him". I tried to fight him, then Toby joined in and I was helpless.

But I let them. I didn't care. I was back with the people who really cared about me. I was safe. I was happy. I was home.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zalgo

I paced my room, running a hand through my black hair. Faith had gone missing, and I'm sure Slenderman had something to do with it.

"Damn him!" I yelled. "Always messing things up for me!"

"Zalgo, highness?" came a voice from my open doorway.

I looked up to see Dr. Smiley standing there, his black messy hair hanging over his dark, insane eyes, lab coat smeared in dried blood, and his mask with the smile on it over his mouth. He bowed deeply.

"What is it?" I snapped.

"Sir, we found something that might be of interest to the missing Faith." Dr. Smiley held out his hand, revealing a small bag of candy.

I took the bag and studied it. "What does this have to do with—" I stopped when I saw what type of candy was inside the bag. Lemonheads, small lollipops, and chocolates. The Skin Taker had told me on Christmas one year that those were Faith's favorite candies.

"We think…he," Dr. Smiley said the word as though it was a curse, "might have left this as bait for her."

"So this just proves it," I said gruffly. Then I looked up and said as jokingly as I possibly could, "Tell everyone to get their coats. We're going to pay a visit to an old friend."

Dr. Smiley's face lifted under his mask, and I knew he was smiling broadly. He bowed again and left the room.

I looked out the window, staring coldly at the forest beyond. "Damn you, Slenderman. I was so close. Why did you have to screw everything up?"

Slenderman

Once Faith had eaten and everything had calmed down again, I found Sally and Faith upstairs playing dress-up. Sally had on a little pink dress and fairy wings to match. She was sitting down and studying Faith's outfit. I turned into the room and saw her in a pretty blue dress and matching boa. Sally clapped her hands and cried, "Ooh! Wait! You're missing something!"

Faith stood there, confused, as Sally walked to a small cabinet. She opened it and pulled out a little plastic tiara. I watched in happy silence as she handed it to Faith, who put it delicately in her hair. It fit nicely, and Sally giggled and bounced up and down.

"It's perfect!" she cried.

Faith looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. "It does look nice, doesn't it?" She giggled and turned to Sally, curtseying and speaking to her in a fluent British accent. "Would it be alright if I joined you for tea?"

It was then that Sally noticed my presence. "Daddy Slender!" she cried, hugging my legs.

Faith smiled at me, then blushed and took off the tiara and boa.

"Why'd you take them off?" I asked.

"It seems too childish of me to do this, sorry." Faith shyly forced a smile and looked at her bare feet.

I walked forward and plucked a top hat off one of the mannequin heads on Sally's dresser, the one she keeps for me or the boys when they play with her, put it on, and placed the tiara back on Faith's head. I then bowed to them both and said, "My ladies."

Sally giggled and they both curtsied. Faith's smile was wider and more genuine.

"Your Excellency," Sally said to Faith, walking towards a a record player I had given her a while ago. "What music would you like today?"

Faith waved her hand in a regal manner. "Something slow and classical, love," she said, her accent changing again to that British one.

Sally nodded and put on a piece by Mozart. The Prelude in C Major played beautifully throughout the room, and I held my hand out to Faith.

"Dance, your Majesty?" I asked politely. She took my hand and we shared a nice dance until the song ended, her standing on my shoes the whole time.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and I quickly went to answer it, taking off the hat on my way out.

I didn't have time to register who I saw before I was thrown backwards into the dining room. I crashed into the wall, thankfully not breaking the plaster.

Walking towards me was a tall, pitch black demon with glowing red eyes and long black tendrils coming out of its back. I recognized it immediately as the demon Zalgo.

"No!" Jeff cried, running to my side. He was grabbed by his ankles by a long, black tentacle before he could reach me and hung upside down in mere seconds, then thrown across the room and into a picture frame of an old painting. The glass shattered and a few shards rained on him.

"Jeff!" I cried, struggling to get to my feet. But before I could, Zalgo pushed me to the ground again.

"Where is she?" the deep voice of the demon asked me. "Where is Faith?"

"Slender!" Faith shrieked from behind him. I looked and saw her still in that blue dress and tiara. Sally was standing behind her, shivering in her little pink dress and wings.

My head spinning still, I motioned them upstairs. "Run! Run, girls!"

Someone grabbed Sally and lifted her up. Laughing Jack then turned and gripped Faith's arm. "Let's go!" he cried, running upstairs, Sally sobbing in his arms.

I turned back to Zalgo. "Leave them alone," I managed.

Zalgo sneered at me. "You shut up." I felt him take the strength out of my body, absorbing it and growing stronger.

All my strength left me, and I collapsed on the floor, the room growing dark around me.

Sally

When Faith and I heard the crash, we ran down the stairs as fast as we could. Faith stopped in the living room entry, and I hid behind her legs, cowering in fear.

"Run girls!" Daddy Slender cried, and before I could say anything, L.J. lifted me in one arm and pulled Faith's wrist with his other arm.

We ran a few steps up, and L.J. handed me off to Jeff. He ran with me to his room, but not before I heard Faith scream. Jeff hid me under his bed and told me to keep quiet. Then he ran out.

I heard the commotion outside. It was horrible. There were people screaming, loud banging and crashing sounds, everyone was calling Faith's name.

This went on for minutes, and I covered my ears, trying to block out most of the noise. I was still shivering and I tried not to cry, out of fear that I'd get caught.

Then there was silence.

Absolute silence.

I crawled out from under the bed and went downstairs. Daddy Slender was on the ground, not moving. I ran to him.

"Daddy Slender, wake up! Wake up, please!" I cried, trying to wake him up. E.J. walked to me. His jacket was torn on one sleeve, and his mask was chipped in one end.

"He's okay," he said. "Just unconscious."

At my confused look, he said, "Sleeping, I mean."

I sighed in relief, then felt something touch my hand. I looked down as Daddy Slender held my hand and pulled himself into a sitting position. "Where's Faith?" he asked.

E.J. looked at his feet.

"Where's Faith?" Daddy Slender asked again.

Jeff walked into the room, L.J. trailing behind him. Then Daddy Slender's proxies, then Ben.

Once everyone came into the room, mostly unharmed, save for a few scratches, he asked again, more frantic. "Where is Faith?!"

L.J. looked down and began to cry. I ran to him and hugged his legs. L.J. never cries.

"I-I couldn't…I tried to…I wasn't able to save her," he sobbed, ashamed. "Zalgo, he…" He suddenly fell to his knees, and I hugged his neck as tightly as I could. He cried into my shoulder, repeating the words "I couldn't do it" and "I'm so sorry".

Daddy Slender stood up, radiating pain and sorrow. "We have to get her back," he said simply. "We'll go and get her back. But we have to be quiet about it."

L.J. looked up, dried his eyes and cheeks, and assured me that he was okay.

"How do we do that?" Jane asked. "For all we know, they could be guarding her."

"She's calling me," Daddy Slender muttered.

"Calling you?" Jeff repeated. "How?"

"She's wishing, silently praying for us to find her. I can hear her. Now that she's back with us, I managed to secure a link between our minds. So basically, we can talk telepathically."

"Cool," E.J. said. "Are they hurting her?"

"No, her thoughts would be more frantic, racing faster. She's just scared and confused."

"Well, let's make her not scared," Clockwork said, pulling her jacket on.

"I agree," Daddy Slender replied.

"I wanna go!" I cried.

"Sal, it's not safe. You could get hurt," L.J. said softly.

"But—"

"Laughing Jack is right, Sally," Daddy Slender said. "It'll be dangerous. You need to stay here, where it's safe."

I nodded. I was disappointed and he knew it, but I kept my smile. "Okay. You promise you'll bring her back?"

Jeff ruffled my hair and tapped my nose. "I promise I'll do everything I can to bring her back," he said.

"I second that," Jane said.

"Here here!" came Hoodie's reply.

I smiled wider and watched their retreating backs walk out the door to save my new friend.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Faith

"Stop! Please, let me go! Ow, stop, you're hurting me!" I screamed as Zalgo carried me back to his mansion. He handed me off to Dr. Smiley and the Skin Taker, who held my wrists and ankles back.

"Of course he had to mess things up again!" Zalgo said angrily. "Now I have to go through all of this again! Take her to her room!"

They started to pull me up to my "room" and I fought against them. Zalgo trailed behind us, and every once in a while, if I almost got away, he'd bring a stick down on the back of my knees.

"Stop! Let me go!" I screeched.

"Shut up and quit squirming!" Zalgo shouted, hitting me with the stick again. I screamed and sagged again, but this time, they had to literally drag me because my strength had completely left my limbs. Instead, I sobbed helplessly, begging to be set free.

They ignored my pleas and dropped me onto the bed and left me there to cry. My mind raced as I tried to search for a way out.

"Bar the windows once we leave. Seal the door too," Zalgo said calmly. "See to it that she doesn't get away this time."

Dr. Smiley, The Skin Taker, Sonic .exe, Tails Doll, and the few shape shifters there bowed deeply and exited. Zalgo then turned to me. "What lies have they been feeding you?" he asked, his face softening as he reached out to touch my arm.

I cringed and slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me, you monster! You killed my family because you didn't get what you wanted! You're disgusting! How da—"

Zalgo cut me off with a quick slap to my face. My eyes teared up and I cupped my cheek in my hand. He didn't respond, just scowled at me, turned and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

I curled up into a ball on the bed, and began to tremble and cry again. "Help me," I whispered to the air. "Please, save me."

Slenderman

I walked in front of my family, making sure we couldn't be seen. We knew this wasn't going to be easy, and I had to think of a plan, fast.

"So where's she at?" Jeff asked.

"Up there," I answered, pointing to a barred window. "Poor girl is terrified."

I saw Hoodie, Masky, and L.J. tense up and clench their fists. "Did they hurt her?" Masky asked gruffly.

I nodded sadly. "Not badly, but enough to subdue her."

E.J. put a hand to his mask and wiped a bit of tar from his eyes that dripped down faster than usual. He was in tears.

"Let me at them," E.J. growled. "I'll tear them apart. I'll rip every single one of the scumbags to shreds. I'll hang them by their toes and remove every organ from their disgusting bodies, and then—"

"Easy, E.J.," Ben said comfortingly. "We're gonna get her back. Okay? You can worry about her injuries afterwards."

E.J. nodded. "Okay. I'm cool. I'm fine," he sighed. "Let's go."

I nodded, a plan suddenly forming in my mind. "Alright. Jeff, Smile, proxies, and Clockwork to the front. Distractions. The rest of you, help me get the bars off of the window so we can get her out," I said formally, sounding like a sergeant leading his soldiers to battle.

"I can do you one better and get in there myself," a voice at my feet said. I looked down and behind me to find a small creature similar to a grey Furby. Mr. Widemouth.

"I thought you were one of Zalgo's," I answered.

"Not anymore. I was only there for the kid. She liked playing pretend with me when Zalgo wasn't training her and yelling at her for her mess-ups." At everyone's weird looks, he rolled his eyes and said, "We played games that she makes up. Imagination games about fairies and monsters and such. Little kid stuff. Don't worry, I didn't try to make her jump to her death."

I nodded and continued. "How can you get in?" I asked.

"Can you get me up to the window?" he responded.

Jeff spoke up. "How do we know we can trust you?" he asked skeptically.

"There are two shape shifters guarding her door. Sonic .exe is with them. He's really fast, so it'll be tricky to get through the door," Mr. Widemouth explained. "But if you get me through the window, I can get her to quietly open it from the inside and tell her what you guys plan to do. Fill her in on the plan, so you can get her out. That way she won't freak out and maybe she'll even try to distract them."

"What's the catch?" Toby asked.

"No catch. I just want to help my friend," he told him.

I pondered this for a moment, then nodded. "Sounds good. Alright, go."

We all scattered, Jeff's group going to the front to distract and the rest of us went to the back window. I had Ben, the Jacks, and Jane scout the corners to make sure we weren't being watched, and hoisted Mr. Widemouth up to the window. He climbed through and tapped on the glass. I saw him talk to someone, then point down. I saw my little girl look down at me through the bars and grin widely. A tear fell from her face, dropping to the ground in front of me. I felt happier seeing her face unharmed than anything else.

She spoke to Mr. Widemouth a bit more, and I could read her lips this time.

"Is everyone else here?" she asked him.

Mr. Widemouth nodded.

"I'm going home?"

Another nod.

Another tear fell in front of me. She looked up again, obscuring my view of her lips, and they talked for a few seconds. Then all of a sudden, Faith quickly shut the window and Mr. Widemouth jumped down.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Zalgo almost caught her," he said. "I said you're gonna get her out of there though. Stay put and play along."

"Good," I replied, knowing she'd understand what he meant.

Deciding not to get distracted, I moved the rest of my team in.

"Now," I whispered to E.J., who already had his lock picks ready. He quickly picked the lock on the back door and we went inside. I motioned for Jane to go left, the Jacks to go with me to Faith's room, and for Ben to check on the others at the front and help if needed. They nodded and I told Jane that if anyone presents a threat, cut them down. She nodded more firmly this time, gripping her knife tighter before hurrying off. I watched her and Ben go, feeling prouder than I ever have before to have such a strong family willing to fight. I turned to the Jacks and started to walk upstairs. They followed and quickly dispatched the shape shifters by the door. Looking around, I noticed that Sonic .exe wasn't here.

"Keep your eyes peeled," I whispered. "Sonic's hiding."

They nodded, and E.J. got to work on the bedroom door. He quickly picked the lock and we walked inside. Unfortunately, we were forced to freeze suddenly.

"Move and she dies."

Standing in front of us, Faith wrapped tightly in one arm, knife to her throat, was Sonic .exe. The hand with the scalpel was held poised over her neck, ready to pierce the flesh. He had his other hand over her mouth, which explains why she didn't warn us.

"Say one word and she's a goner," the hedgehog spoke again.

Hold on, Faith, I thought, my thoughts racing. I had not planned this at all.

The others held their hands up, and I followed suit. I figured we'd play along while Faith was in immediate danger.

A plan suddenly formed in my mind, and I relaxed a bit. I heard the others make their way through the halls, and fully relaxed now. I knew exactly what to do.

"Sonic! Kill her!" Zalgo screamed from another room.

Sonic .exe hesitated, before smiling beneath the mask and moving the scalpel. Before he could slide the blade across my goddaughter's smooth, pale neck and stain it deep crimson, I struck him with a quick tentacle to the arm. It suddenly unattached itself from his shoulder, and he collapsed to the floor, screaming. Blood spilled out onto the hardwood floor, and Faith fell forward with him. L.J. quickly got her out from the room as I heard Jeff call.

"Slender, no offense, but hurry up! There are too many shape shifters to deal with right now!" he cried from downstairs. The smell of sulfur filled the air, and it was almost suffocating for the others. I moved swiftly down the hall, the Jacks and Faith close behind me, and yelled back.

"Let's move!"

They responded almost instantly by sprinting out the door. Once they were out, I turned and gave Zalgo, who had been charging us, a good roundhouse kick to the gut. Even for a demon, that's enough to knock the wind out of someone. He went down wheezing.

As we walked home, L.J. kept fussing over Faith, making sure she was okay. Other than a bruise on her cheek and almost twisted knees, she was fine.

I looked everyone else over before we walked through the door to my mansion. No serious injuries, thank my lucky stars, but they were all tired and frazzled. I decided we should all get cleaned and rested. We've had a little too much life for one day.

Sally

"But Daddy Slender told me you were dead," I said, looking at the tall woman in front of me. The woman was really pretty. She had long, flowing blond hair, longer than Faith's, and the same blue eyes. She was thin with less of a "warrior's build", as Jeff calls it, than Faith, but she still looked powerful.

"I am, little Sally," the woman said, her voice radiating power and beauty. "Slender is right. I'm now called The Oracle. The body I chose seemed fitting to the people I'm supposed to protect."

"Who are you supposed to protect?" I asked the Oracle.

The Oracle's voice changed slightly, less powerful and more vulnerable. More…human. "My daughter, Faith Underwood, and the people who house her," she explained. "I swore to myself that when I die, I will do everything in my power to make sure my little girl lives a long life. Recently, I was offered to become the Oracle by the creature itself."

"What did it look like?"

"Like nothing I have or you will ever see," The Oracle continued. "Think of the brightest light you've ever seen, then imagine it even brighter, and hotter than the sun. But it doesn't burn you."

"Wow," I sighed. "That sounds…strong."

"It is. But now, I am that light. Because my body was human, the light is dimmed enough where mortal and non-mortal eyes can see me. My child included."

"You sound human though." I was clearly confused.

"Yes, dear Sally, I am in a way," the Oracle continued. "Since my body was once a living human, I retain that person's memories, feelings, etc. All The Oracle does is add power."

"Oh," I said. Suddenly the front door opened and I hid under my bed. It was something I was taught by Daddy Slender when the door opens. Wait for someone to call my name.

"Sally?" Faith's voice, scratchy and breaking, came from downstairs.

I looked at The Oracle, Faith's mommy, and she smiled at me, winked and whispered, "I'm going to wait for my little girl in her room." Then she disappeared into glittery dust, which quickly evaporated.

"I'm coming, Faith!" I yelled back, crawling out from under the bed and running downstairs. "Faith, go up to your room! Your mommy's here!"

Faith looked confused for a moment, then smiled and looked to Jeff. Imaginary friends, she mouthed.

"Okay, I'll go say hi to her then," Faith said with a smile, and limped up to her room with Jeff's help. I noticed bruising on the back of her legs and gritted my teeth. They hurt her! my mind screamed in rage.

Daddy Slender put a hand on my shoulder and asked, "You say you saw Faith's mother?"

I nodded, and he seemed to light up in emotion.

"Good. Oh, just wait until she sees her," he said excitedly.

Faith

Jeff set me down on my bed and looked at my legs. "Your knees look awful. What did he do?" he asked.

I lifted my legs carefully onto my mattress so I was now lying flat on my back, and frowned. "He hit me. Beat me until I stopped struggling. Then when he tried to sweet-talk me back to him, I yelled at him and he slapped me." My voice broke on the last word, and my eyes burned as the tears came back.

Jeff's eyes softened, and he sat behind me on the bed and began to massage my shoulders. I sighed, relaxing as his hands rubbed the pain and tension from my aching muscles.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should have tried harder to protect you."

"There isn't anything any of you could have done," a voice said. Startled, we both looked around. In my state, I couldn't believe it, but I saw…my mother. Standing in front of me, the same blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin as when I last saw her alive.

"M-mom?" I asked.

She looked at Jeff hard. "You better not be trying anything with my daughter," she said sternly, who blushed and cleared his throat, starting to shift away.

My mother laughed. "I'm joking around, Jeffery," she giggled.

Jeff relaxed and sighed. "I wouldn't try anything with her. I'm not that crazy," he said shyly.

My mother nodded and looked at me. "Hello my dear," she said softly, as if her words would make me shatter into a million pieces. She walked over to me and touched my injured knees.

"These need to be fixed," she muttered. At her touch, my body relaxed. I suddenly felt pain, the exact same pain as what Zalgo delivered, and I cried out. Within seconds, the pain stopped, and my mom looked at me. "Better?" she asked.

I bent my legs, expecting to feel pain still. Instead, my knees bent normally, without any pain. The swelling had gone down, the bruises disappeared, and they felt normal.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "How did you—?"

"I am the Oracle," she answered. "I am still your mother, but I have…extra powers now."

"This is incredible," Jeff said. "And they don't hurt?"

"No," I replied.

"Wow," he breathed. "How did you do that?"

"I am the Oracle," she repeated. "A couple weeks ago, I was given the offer of becoming The Oracle. It said I would have the power to protect you and the others from Zalgo and his cronies. When it mentioned you, I couldn't resist."

"Why didn't you come and see me sooner?" I asked.

"I was told to wait. Sweetheart, the Oracle is a part of my mind now. I may be 'living'—" she made air quotes as she said it—"but I am still bound by its will."

"Oh. Well, does this mean I can see you more often?"

"Yes."

"Should I go and leave you guys alone?" Jeff asked, starting to move.

"Oh Jeff, not without giving me a hug first," my mother said. She knew him for a while, and he took to her surprisingly fast.

He carefully got off the bed and stepped into my mother's embrace. She held him tightly for a few seconds, kissed his forehead like the mother she was, and sent him off.

"I may not be his mother," my mom spoke softly. "But I know he loves me like I am. They all did, you know. Whenever we went over to visit, they'd run to me." She chuckled.

I stood up, and she held her arms out to me. "Come here, my little girl."

Tears stinging my eyes again, I ran forward into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. She held me there, stroking my hair like she used to do. She started to hum to herself, a tune she and I used to sing all the time at home. Through my tears, I smiled. I felt so much happier knowing that she was here.

"Your father and brother miss you too," she whispered into my ear after she finished the song. "But they can see you. You just can't see them yet. They don't have the opportunity I have."

I thought of Dad, and how he would make funny jokes when I came home after school and finished my homework. Casey and I would laugh at all of them. He built the treehouse with us in the backyard and gave us joke presents on our birthdays sometimes. Dad was such a practical joker.

I thought of Casey. He used to threaten bullies that picked on me at school. One time, he had to punch one in the face because the boy wouldn't stop pinching and poking me. When I wouldn't get up on weekends, Casey would tickle my feet until I giggled and screamed "Okay! I'm awake!" We played pirates, princess and knight, and sometimes he'd tell me stories about fairies and trolls when we'd go hiking.

"I miss them so much," I whispered.

"Casey misses you the most. You know he's twenty years old now, right?"

I looked at her. "Ghosts age?" I asked dumbly.

My mom laughed again. "Yes, we age. I'm forty-five years old. Your father is forty-seven."

"Wow," I said. "So when can I see them?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I want to see if The Oracle will switch bodies safely, so you get a chance to see all of us."

"That'd be nice," I smiled.

"Well, sit down, and tell me how you've been for the past ten years," my mom said, letting me go and sitting down on the bed. She patted the space next to her, and I smiled and complied.

Slenderman

I heard the voices from Faith's room. At first it was just Jeff and Faith talking, then another voice was added. It was unfamiliar at first, and I listened carefully to see if it was possibly an enemy. Then I heard Faith splutter "Mom?"

I smiled. "She's finally come to see her daughter. Lillian, you can be such a mystery sometimes," I muttered to myself. I had been told by Jane that there have been rumors flying around at Zalgo's mansion that The Oracle had payed them a visit. I had also seen The Oracle take the form of Faith's mother a few years back, when I had been told that she'd soon return to me. I had completely forgotten her presence since then.

I thought it was best to leave them alone to talk, so I returned to my book.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at my door. "Come in," I said loudly. When the door opened, Jeff and Sally walked through. Jeff's permanent smile matched his still-foggy, yet glowing eyes, and Sally was bouncing up and down in excitement.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Slender," Jeff said excitedly. "The rumors are true. Faith's mom just showed up."

"I told her, Daddy Slender! I told her she was here!" Sally squealed.

I smiled wider. "I know. I can hear her."

Jeff the Killer

As I walked down the hallway to my room, I couldn't help but think this all was a dream. Faith's mother returning after being dead for ten years. Now that was almost unbelievable. I almost would have thought it was a joke, but then she hugged me and kissed my forehead. I had talked with the others about Faith's mom, wanting to know what she was like. L.J., Ben, E.J., and the proxy twins told me that when she would come over with little Faith, she would greet them with a warm hug and a kiss on the forehead. They said it was her signature.

I closed my bedroom door. I was wiped out from battling shape shifters, so I dropped onto my bed and turned off my light. The sunlight still streamed in from the window, but I didn't care. I'd be awake by dinner anyway. All I could think about was how happy Faith must be right now. As I turned to face the wall of my room, I swore I felt a hand brush my cheek gently, then soft humming. I fell asleep, my smile matching my mood for the first time in a while.

 **A/N: Sorry this took so long to upload! I've been super busy with finals, but I FINALLY finished it. Thanks to everyone for supporting me and my little sister. She thinks this is cool and is still super excited about hearing that people like it. Remember to leave reviews and thanks again guys!**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Faith

I awoke to a tingling sensation in my feet. One that was all too familiar. I smiled and buried my face in my pillow, resisting the urge to move. The tingling continued until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop! Please! I beg you, stop!" I squealed with laughter, sitting up and jerking my feet away from my attacker. When I looked at who it was, my mouth dropped.

"Casey?" I asked in bewilderment.

My brother, Casey, laughed at my dumbfounded expression. His black hair shined with a metallic glow, his tanned skin was a luminescent caramel color which he got from Dad, and his green eyes glowed, their brightness seeming to penetrate my heart. He looked older, over ten years older than the last time I saw him.

"Wow," he chuckled. "You're surprised to see me after seeing Mom last night?"

"I...uh...well, I suppose it was just a bit unexpected. I didn't expect to see you so soon, I guess," I replied.

"Well, here I am," he smiled widely, embracing me in his strong arms. "So, what's new?"

I explained everything that had happened to me in the last ten years as we walked down the stairs to breakfast. We ate, and Casey got caught up with everyone else before finally delivering the news.

"There's a prophecy I need to tell you all," he said solemnly.

All conversation ceased as my brother spoke those words. Slender was the one to break the silence.

"Go on, then. Tell us."

Casey took a deep breath and ran a hand through his black hair before speaking.

"The prophecy is this:

 _In two years time, a war will rise_

 ** _Great battle upon both sides._**

 ** _This battle will last for three sunsets,_**

 ** _And on the third, there'll be one death._**

 ** _The stolen child shall die before dark_**

 ** _And upon awakening bear her family's mark._**

 ** _But it must be at exactly half past seven_**

 ** _Or none shall see her eyes again._**

 ** _Be warned, be warned, only one shall die_**

 ** _Killed by one with the crimson eye._**

 ** _The ones that burned and can't feel pain_**

 ** _Will turn against loved ones and go insane._**

 ** _Trust will be tested, loyalties lost_**

 ** _But in the end, one life is the cost."_**

The room was silent for several seconds. Everyone had a look of terror on their faces. They turned to each other, now looking worried and sad. I was the first to speak.

"So...I'm gonna die in two years?" I asked.

Casey nodded.

"And Jeff and I are gonna go nuts and try to kill everyone?" Toby chimed in.

Another nod.

"Do we know anything about who's going to kill my Faith other than he has crimson eyes?" Slender asked.

Casey shook his head. "There are about four possibilities," he answered shortly.

"Who?" I asked, my stomach turning.

"Zalgo, Sonic .exe, and...Jeff and Toby."

Jeff stood up angrily, banging his fists on the table. "You can't be serious!" he shouted.

Casey nodded regrettably.

Toby sighed and put his head in his hands. "I don't want to hurt Faith," he said, his voice breaking.

I reached out and put my arm around him. "You won't," I assured him.

"You don't know that!" Toby was beginning to cry now.

"We'll have to train," Jane said.

"And we can't get Sally involved," Ben added.

"Yes, and I have a plan for that. She'll be okay," Slender said.

I sighed. "And does Zalgo know that he can't kill us?"

"Mom is telling him right now as we speak," Casey responded.

"Well, Jane's right," Clockwork said. "We'll need to train hard, maybe gather more recruits. We all know about his army of shape shifters."

"Oh! Faith, Dad told me to give this to you." Casey held out a black, velvet box. I opened it and found a set of tiny gems. There were eight in total, all in different colors.

"Element gems," Casey explained. "The red one's fire, blue is water, green is earth, gold is lightning, yellow is air, white is a healing gem, purple is shape shifting, and the black one is a death gem. These gems will help you in battle, but you must learn how to use them on your own."

"Wow," I breathed, holding the fire gem in my palm. It was in the shape of a water droplet, was about the size of my index fingernail, and it sparkled beautifully. I thought about how I would use the gem. I read in a book once about mages who could hold fireballs in their hands. All of a sudden I felt my palm start to heat up, and the gem glowed brighter before a tiny flame grew in my palm.

"Woah!" Sally cried, marveling at the ball of fire I held in my hand that was now the size of a baseball. "That's amazing! Faith can use magic!"

Slender's aura was one of happiness and pride as he looked at my palm. "I knew she had high potential, but I did not know it was this high," he said, watching as I closed my palm over the gem, extinguishing the flame.

"Wow," I breathed again, beaming wider than I ever have before. Then I frowned again. "So we only have two years to prepare?"

"Afraid so."

I nodded. "Then let's eat and get ready. We have a lot of training to do."

Ticci Toby

I blinded myself with one of Jeff's old bandannas and threw one of my hatchets at the target ten feet away from me. I heard the impact and looked to see it barely hanging on to the target. I sighed.

"I've got a lot of practice to do," I thought. I looked over to see Faith practicing with her gems. I sighed again, the words from the prophecy still buzzing in my head. The ones that burned and can't feel pain will turn against loved ones and go insane. Those words chilled me to my very core. I was scared to fight this war, scared that I wouldn't be strong enough to fight the change, that I'd be the one to kill Faith. But I couldn't worry about that right now. It'd mess up my concentration. So I cast those thoughts aside for now and tried another throw.

Jeff the Killer

I kept aggressively punching the punching bag in front of me, venting my anger at it. Slender walked in before I could bloody my knuckles.

"You okay?" Slender asked.

I took a long swig of my water and sat down, taking off my gloves. "To be honest, not really," I answered, wiping sweat from my brow. "I'm a little mad that I could potentially kill my friend, and that we're going to war with Zalgo."

"I know," Slender replied. "However, there's nothing we can do. It's been prophecised, so that's the last word."

I growled in the back of my throat.

"I know you hate it, but on the bright side, I won't lose any of you."

"What about Faith? You could potentially lose her."

"No possible way. Now that we know what this prophecy is, we'll take extra precautions. Nobody's dying that day."

I smiled. "Yeah. I hope so."

Zalgo

"What?!" I yelled. "What do you mean I can't kill them?!"

"Exactly that," Lillian said sternly. She had just finished explaining a prophecy to me, one that basically told me that Faith was going to perish and I couldn't kill anyone except her.

"You're honestly joking?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"No, I'm not," Lillian said, again very sternly.

"You can't honestly-wait, I can't kill them. But I can harm them?" I asked smiling.

Lillian stiffened, but she answered honestly. "Yes..."

I smiled wider. "Then Slender and his 'family' are in for a wild ride."

 ** _A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I took forever but here's the next chapter. Forgive my terrible rhyming (Rick Riordan was way better than me) and enjoy! :)_**


	8. Chapter 7

Part Two:

 _It's time to come home_ _now..._

 **Faith**

I stayed in the training room, trying to figure out how to use the rest of my gems. The red and gold gems were the easy ones. I was having a problem with the white and black ones though.

I tried again to think of something that would bring the death energy to my palm. Nothing. Not even a spark. Absolutely nada.

I sighed in frustration and rubbed my eyes. It had been three months since we had the prophecy revealed to us. I was feeling tired, even though the day wasn't even half over yet.

"How's it going, magic lady?" came a voice from the door. I turned to find Ben in the doorway. He smiled.

"Honestly, could be better," I sighed. "For some reason, I can't seem to power these gems." I showed him the white, black, and purple gems.

"So you know element ones?" Ben asked.

I nodded. "Those were easy. It's just the other three. I can't think of anything to summon it."

"Hang on a sec," Ben told me. He thought for a moment. "Have you tried thinking about becoming the person you want to shift into?"

I paused. "No, actually. I've just been thinking about the person."

"Well, try it."

I took the purple gem in my hand again, closed my fist over it, and shut my eyes. I thought about Sally, her hair, her eyes, her cute little nightgown. I conjured every detail into my mind.

A small breeze blew through my hair, and I felt my sleeves shortening. My hair grew longer.

"Woah," Ben said.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He had gotten suddenly taller. Or I had suddenly gotten shorter.

I looked down at my hands. Small hands with small fingers. I saw the pink nightgown I was wearing, and a smile spread across my face.

"I did it!" I cried, then clamped my hands over my mouth. Even my voice was like Sally's.

Ben stared for a while, then started to laugh. I joined in after a couple seconds.

Slender walked in on us laughing, then gazed at me in confusion.

"Slender, oh my god, Faith can shapeshift!" Ben laughed.

Slender cocked his head, then started chuckling. "For a minute, I thought I was going crazy. I had just finished talking to Sally a moment ago."

I turned back to my original form, releasing the gem from my hand. I felt proud of myself for finally being able to use it. It'd surely come in handy.

"Well done, Faith," Slender said. "And how are you doing with the other gems?"

I frowned. "Not too well. The healing and suffering gems are the worst. I can't figure out how to conjure them."

Slender walked to me. "Try to think hard about your family's death. Think of every detail. Draw in all the negative emotions from that night. Zalgo's hatred, your fear and sadness, all of it."

I shook my head. "I don't know if I can do that. I'm afraid."

Slender took me in his arms tightly. "I know, but you have to try. Think of it as Necromancy."

I hugged him back. "I'll try."

He let go and stepped back. I picked up the black teardrop gem and gripped it tight. Then I closed my eyes, forcing my mind to remember that horrible day. The picture came to me quickly, every detail. The blood. The bodies. Everything. I drew in every detail of the emotions within. I remembered how scared I felt. I remembered how angry Zalgo was when Casey tried to save me. I drew in the emotions I had when Smiley took him and sliced his throat with a scalpel. I remembered Casey's horrified screams, my pitiful sobs, Zalgo's fuming gaze.

Tears sprang to my eyes. My lower lip quivered. But I kept my focus.

My hand started to feel cold. I didn't dare open my eyes. Ben and Slender stayed quiet.

I drew in the shadows of horror and sadness and hatred. My entire hand was enveloped in a dark chill. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that my hand had turned completely black.

I gasped and dropped the gem. My hand returned to normal, and the chill disappeared.

"What is it, child?" Slender asked me. "You nearly had it."

"Slender, I can't! I'm too scared!" I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Ben approached and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I get it. You've never had to weild the power of pure death before. You don't know how to handle it."

I looked down.

"Faith, don't give up. We need you to do this. You need you to do this. So please, give it one more try."

I sniffed, then bent down and picked the gem back up. "Okay," I said shakily.

Ben stepped back to give me some room.

I clutched the black gem tight, then conjured the shadows again. My hand felt chilly again. I opened my eyes once the cold covered my whole hand, then reached out and touched a small flower that had just bloomed with the back of my hand. The flower withered and died instantly.

"Good work, Faith!" Ben cheered.

I smiled a little, but my head kept swimming with the images of Casey's murder, my parents' bodies, and the gleam of the needle that let Zalgo control me. I laid the gem back on the table, and the shadows disappeared. The images didn't though.

My body weakened, my knees buckling beneath me. I fell to the ground and started to cry again. Slender rushed to my side, hugging me gently. I cried into his shoulder, silently cursing myself for being so weak.

"Shh," Slender said soothingly. "It's over. You're alright. Breathe. And don't be upset. You're not used to it yet. But it will come in handy, remember that. Use your strength."

I nodded, breathing slowly.

"How did it feel, if it's okay to ask?" Ben piped up.

"Like Necromancy, I guess," I responded. "Just felt like shadows coiling around my hand. I felt a weird coldness too."

"So basically how anyone would describe death? Cold and dark?"

"Yeah."

I wanted to do it again, to make sure it wasn't a fluke. I wiped my eyes and stood up, picking up the black gem and holding it tight. We all watched as the shadows curled and played at my fingers. I allowed them to move up my arm, chilling my skin and raising goosebumps.

The shadows moved over my chest and to my other arm, up my neck, and down to my legs. Ben's eyes widened.

I tried to push the shadows away, tried to make them go back into the gem, but my hands wouldn't move. I started to panic.

"I can't control them!" I shrieked.

Slender went to help me, but the shadows actually _hissed_ as they shoved him away. My body was being controlled by my own emotions.

"Help me!" I screamed.

L.J. and Jeff ran in, hearing the commotion. L.J. looked at me and gasped.

"What the-?" Jeff started, but the shadows cut him off by swiping his legs out from under him. He went down hard, crying out in pain.

"Stop it!" I commanded the shadows. "Stop! Let go of me!"

A voice in my mind. Deep, unrecognizable. It definitely wasn't Zalgo.

" ** _You let us in, and yet your mind and soul are weak. Do not let yourself get distracted again, girl. Because next time, we will not be so merciful_**."

The shadows retracted, falling back into the gem. My body slumped. I felt my heart rate start to slow again as my breathing returned to normal. L.J. was helping Slender to his feet, and Jeff had just gotten up. He looked at me with a mixture of confusion and awe.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"I...I dunno. I just told them to stop. And they spoke to me."

"What did they say, my child?" Slender asked.

"They told me my will wasn't strong enough to weild them. And that if I got distracted again, they wouldn't be nearly as merciful."

We stood in silence for a while longer.

"Slender," Jeff started, running a hand through his black hair. "I think it's too dangerous to let her use that gem right now. It could have killed us. Those shadows could have killed us."

I looked down guiltily.

"It's a discipline she'll have to work on, then," Slender replied. "We'll teach her to control her emotions, so maybe she can eventually control them."

L.J. and Ben were all for the idea. I was in too. The only thing I wanted was to be able to use these gems against the enemy, not myself or my friends.

 **Zalgo**

"You sure it'll work, sir?" Dr. Smiley asked me. He sounded eager, and yet hesitant to go along with this.

"Of course it will!" I snapped. "This plan is foolproof. Once we get ahold of her, Slenderman will do everything we ask to get her back."

"But Zalgo, she's just a kid," Sonic .exe said.

"Precisely why it'll be perfect." A smile started spreading across my face. "We get the girl, we gain control over all of them. They'll be forced to give Faith to us. And when that time comes, we'll get to give her our mark. She'll be mine forever."

Sonic started to smile. "Oh, I get it. Good one boss. When do we start?"

"We must wait," I cautioned him. "If we start this right away, they'll be able to come up with a backup plan. We have to toy with them first, otherwise we will make no progress in weakening their defenses."

They both nodded.

"But worry not, gentlemen. We shall claim our victory over the Slenderman in twenty-one months time. We shall destroy them all. Just you wait and see."

 **Sally**

When I learned that Faith was gonna die, I was very scared. I didn't know what to think. I didn't want to lose her because she was a good person.

Faith, Clocky and I had just finished a tea party when Daddy Slender told us to come into the attic for some spring cleaning. Bloody Painter had come over too, so he was helping us.

The place was dusty and cold, and I continued to sneeze over and over again. Faith looked at me and started to laugh, and then she sneezed too. I giggled and Faith rolled her eyes.

"Slender," B.P. called. "Faith, check these out."

We all walked back to where he was and saw that he was holding a pair of beautiful fairy wings. They were a bright blue color, and they were big.

"Wow!" I squealed, jumping up and down. "Pretty!"

"I agree," said Clocky.

"How did you find them?" Daddy Slender asked. "I didn't even know I had them."

"They were just in a box over there. They feel so realistic though."

"They've got straps on them, Faith," I pointed out. "Put them on! Do it! Do it!"

Faith giggled. "Okay, I'll try them."

B.P. handed Faith the wings, and she slid the straps over her shoulders and settled them on her back. She looked so pretty with them on!

B.P. nodded his head. "Very nice," he murmured, seeming to study her.

I clapped my hands. "So so so beautiful!"

Faith smiled and looked at them. "So odd how they fit so well."

"Keep them, Faith," Daddy Slender said. "We could use them for a Halloween costume this year."

Faith nodded.

We finished going through the attic by evening. I was very tired by that time. Faith had gone into her room to change while Daddy Slender and I made supper.

"Uhh...Slender?" Faith called from upstairs. "I can't get these wings off me."

Daddy Slender paused, confused. "What do you mean you can't get them off?" he called back.

"I mean I can't find the straps of the stupid things! Please come up here and help me!"

Jumping onto Daddy Slender's back, we climbed the stairs and found Faith in her room. She was wearing a tanktop and shorts, and the wings were still planted on her back. The straps were missing though.

I tilted my head and stared. Daddy Slender walked over and tried pulling on the wings to get them off.

"Ow! Ow that hurts!" Faith shrieked, tugging against his grip.

He let go, and then stepped back in confusion. "How...what?"

"I don't get it," I said.

"Me neither."

We called in E.J. to see if he could help us figure it out.

He examined the seams where the wings touched her skin, then cocked his head in disbelief.

"Faith, you have become a fairy," he said slowly.

"Huh?" Daddy Slender, Faith, and I said at the same time.

"The wings appear to have welded themselves into her skin. They seem to have merged with her body."

The room went quiet.

Faith started to snicker, which soon turned into laughter. We all stared, and I wondered if she was going crazy.

"Wow, Sal," Faith giggled. "I'm a freaking fairy now! I have real wings and everything!"

I smiled. "Does that mean she can fly too, E.J.?"

E.J. thought for a minute. "It is possible. If the wings truly are a part of her now, they must be used as a muscle. Meaning, she has to find out how to flap the wings so she can fly."

Daddy Slender nodded slowly. "Do you have a rough estimate of which muscles she'd need to control?" he asked.

E.J. looked at Faith's back for a second, then started to probe the wings. He poked at them, prodded them, and gently stroked them.

Faith twitched and squirmed. "Easy! That tickles!"

E.J. ignored her. "I'd say somewhere in her spine. If she learns to use her back muscles a bit more, she'd know how to use the wings."

Faith nodded. "So that means double training for me, right?" she asked.

E.J. nodded.

"Awesome," she groaned.

 **Clockwork**

When Faith walked down the stairs for dinner with the wings from the attic, I thought she was just being silly and wanted to wear them for the rest of the night. Then Slender explained it to us, and we all started laughing. Even Faith laughed at how ridiculously cliché it all was.

We ate, cleaned up, and parted ways. Jane went to go shower, Ben and Jeff went to go play video games, L.J. and Sally went out back to play, Slender retreated to his study, the proxies went to bed, E.J. and Faith went to the training room to practice with the wings, and I went to go draw with Bloody Painter. I stayed up there a while, wondering what I should do for the next year and a half. I didn't want to go to war.

"Something wrong, Clockwork?" B.P. asked, and my head lifted from my paper.

"No, not really." I smiled sheepishly, then frowned. "I'm scared, B.P. I'm scared of all this war stuff. I'm scared Zalgo's gonna break the rules and kill us all."

B.P. nodded. "I understand that. But we have to be tough. Train hard and stuff." He laid a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "Stay strong, Clockwork. They'll need you out there just as much as they need me."

I looked back down at my drawing and started with the shading again. B.P. did the same with his. We knew the other was a bit scared. But we also knew we had to be tough. It was fight or die, and I didn't plan on doing the latter.


	9. Chapter 8

**Jeff the Killer**

The war was now three months away. We celebrated birthdays and holidays, and tried to stay as normal as possible considering our circumstances. But we all knew it was going to come. There was no avoiding it. This war was going to be fought, and I was going to possibly lose one of my best friends.

That thought made my jaw clench in anger. I hated thinking of it. I hated the prophecy. I hated the Oracle. I hated the war. I hated all of it.

And the anger I felt just fueled the power of my punches. I fired blow after blow to the punching bag, not letting up for a second. I punched and kicked, my sweat-soaked hair clinging to my scalp.

I used the last of my energy to fire a volley of jabs and punches and let out a loud war cry. It echoed throughout the room.

I stopped punching and stood up straight, breathing hard. My muscles screamed, but I ignored them. My anger died and I sat down.

There was a knock at the door, and I saw Faith standing in the doorway of the training room, blue wings folded downward on her back. Today she was wearing a light blue, knee-length sundress with her hair tied back in a ponytail. She had a pair of black fingerless gloves on, which had the gems stitched into them. All she had to do was touch them with a finger and she'd hold the power it contained. It was Ben's idea.

The only gem she never used was the black one. I could understand why. She almost killed us last time. So she refused to touch it until the time was right.

"You okay?" she asked.

I nodded and took a long drink from a waterbottle.

"I heard shouting, so I came to see if you were hurt," Faith said, smiling a little.

I looked at her. "I'm okay," I panted. "I'm just...tired...and a...little mad."

She frowned. "About the prophecy?"

"Had a nightmare...last night about it." My breathing was beginning to turn to normal now.

Faith looked down.

"I killed you, Faith."

She didn't respond.

"You and I were surrounded by monsters. Demons Zalgo had summoned or something. We were holding them off fine, but then I turned around and stabbed you."

I saw her jaw clench, but she told me to go on.

"You looked at me. You were afraid. I knew you were scared of me. 'Jeff,' you choked out. And then you...smiled at me. Warmly, comfortingly. 'I forgive you.'"

Faith's shoulders sagged.

"But I killed you an hour too early. You died for good, and I just left your body there..." I stopped. My dry, singed eyes wouldn't form tears, but I felt a sob rise to my throat.

Faith looked up at me, her blue eyes filled with worry. "Are you okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

I opened my mouth to say yes, but hesistated. "Not really," I muttered. "I'm scared. Don't tell Jane I admitted that."

We laughed a little at that one, before her face started to fall again.

"I understand. I'm scared too. I hate that all this has to be with me. I hate that I have to die, that I have to be the one to make a choice. To be honest, I hate having this power."

"Why? I'd kill to have the powers you have. Hell, I'd even take the wings as long as they looked cooler."

"It all just seems to revolve around me. That's what I hate about having it." Faith looked at the gems on her gloves. I saw a tear fall onto one of the gems and looked at her face. She had started to cry.

"I hate this, Jeff. I hate that I have to be the one with all these amazing and terrible powers. I hate that all this responsibility falls on me. I never asked for this, Jeff."

Another tear fell onto the glove. She clenched her fists and her body sagged. "I don't want it," she sobbed quietly.

I sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "It's okay. You'll get through this. We all will."

"But you don't know if we'll get through this alive," Faith sniffed. "That's the problem. None of us do." She wiped her eyes and stood up.

I nodded. "No, we don't. But we have to be strong. We need to be prepared for what's to come, Faith."

"I know." She looked at me and took her gloves off. "That's why I want you to fight me."

I stared. "What?" I asked dumbly.

Faith smirked. "Get up and fight me."

My carved-in grin rose slightly as I stood up and walked to her. "Think you got what it takes, fairy girl?" I asked, playing cocky.

She rolled her eyes. "I was practically born for this. Now enough jibes. Let's do this."

And she threw the first punch.

She swung for my face, but I moved and dodged easily, then grabbed her wrist and twisted painfully. Faith cried out, and fell to one knee.

I laughed and let go. "Too easy," I said.

Faith scowled. "I wasn't ready!"

I laughed again. "You threw the first punch!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Shut up," she grumbled.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get up. Let's do it again."

 **Slenderman**

I watched Jeff and Faith practicing in the training room from the cameras for several minutes and started to smile. They knew what their main objective was, and so did everyone else here. I couldn't help but feel proud of them all.

Someone knocked on my office door. I turned. "You may enter," I called.

The door opened slowly and little Sally stepped in. "Hi," she said with her cute little smile.

I walked to her and picked her up in my arms. "Hello, child," I said softly, hugging her tight.

Sally kissed my cheek and hugged back.

"Now, what is it, Sally?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Daddy Slender, what do you think is going to happen to Faith?" she asked, her smile fading.

I paused, realizing how serious the question was.

"I...I-I don't know, dear," I stammered, looking back at Jeff and Faith on the cameras again. "I am hoping against hope that things will turn out in our favor. And that we can have our Faith forever."

Sally looked sad. "But you don't know for sure?" she inquired.

"No, sweetie...I...I don't."

 **Ticci Toby**

I laid on my bed in my room, throwing a foam football into the air and catching it when it came down again. I was bored, but I was nervous at the same time. Three more months and we all could be trying to kill each other.

I threw the ball up one more time and caught it, then put it aside and stood. Might as well take some afternoon rounds with Faith today. Faith always takes one of us to check a five yard perimeter of the mansion, as Slender had suggested. Nothing happened yet, and some fresh air might do me some good.

I threw my sneakers on and grabbed my hatchets. Then I went downstairs and found Faith in the kitchen, icing down her lip. She had a black eye too.

"Jesus Christ," I said. "What happened to you?"

"I suck at close combat," Faith replied with a groan.

I snickered. "What do you mean?"

"Jeff just kicked my butt in the training room today."

"Oh. Hah. Hey, mind if I do the rounds with you this time?"

She smiled, then winced as her lip split open again. "Sure."

She stood up and grabbed a jacket. "Let me change. Can you wait outside for me?"

I nodded and walked out of the mansion. Moments later, I saw Faith jump from her window and unfurl her wings. Instead of the sundress, she had a cute skirt and a T-shirt on. Her wings caught the wind, and she flew above my head.

"Let's go!" she called. I started jogging as we checked the perimeter, Faith in the air and me on the ground. Faith split off from me and went to check a little further out.

Once I had covered the ground area, I started walking back to the mansion. But then I stopped.

I had felt something prick my neck, like a bee had just stung me. I raised my hand to check, and pulled away a small dart.

My last conscious thought was "Oh god" before the dirt trail rose up to meet me and everything faded to darkness.

 **Faith**

I broke away from Toby after we had gone about a yard away. I scanned the area slowly, trying to spot anything that was out of place.

I heard a high pitched whine from the ground and my head turned toward it. I saw a small dog, looked to be a golden lab. It tried to walk, then stumbled and yelped.

My heart churned. I couldn't just leave that poor thing to suffer. I flew in low, touched down, and slowly approached the dog. It whimpered and looked at me with its big brown eyes. This poor thing needed help. Its foot was caught in what looked to be one of our traps.

I felt my stomach sink. I told Masky that it was a bad idea to lay traps down. Now I had something to lecture him about when I got home.

I held my hand out to the little dog and it sniffed it before licking it gently. I smiled and reached down to release it. The trap came undone easy, and I healed the dog's injury before letting it go.

"There ya go," I said with a smile. It yipped happily and licked my chin before running off. I giggled and wiped my face off before flying back to the mansion. I went upstairs and knocked on Slender's office door.

"Slender, place is clear," I said. "Nothing out there."

"Good," he nodded. "Keep up the good work."

I went to Toby's room, but he wasn't there. I didn't find this odd, so I shrugged and went downstairs. Maybe he was in the basement with Ben, playing some video games again.

At dinner, Slender sent Hoodie up to fetch Sally. But when he came down, Sally wasn't with him.

"We...uh...have a...problem..." Hoodie stammered.

Slender tilted his head. "What is it?"

"Sally's gone."

Instantly, we panicked. Slender, L.J. and I stood up.

"And uh...there's something you'll want to see," said Hoodie.

Ben, Slender, L.J., Jeff and I followed him to Sally's room and found that there was very little to no disturbance. Just a tipped chair and a dropped book.

There was a note on the dresser. Hoodie handed it to Slender and Slender read it to himself.

"It's an email address and password," he said.

Ben whipped out his phone. "I'm on it. What is it?"

Slender read off the email info. Ben quickly typed it in, then his body went rigid.

"Guys...there's a new email. I can't trace the email to the original sender. Topic says "Give us Faith". And there are pictures." And he turned the phone so we could see.

Sitting on a bed, crying, and clutching her knees in fear was Sally. I felt my heart ache. They got Sally.

Then Ben scrolled over to the other picture. Hanging unconscious by his wrists was Toby. That was why I never found him. They had gotten him before he came back from the rounds.

I suddenly felt very stupid. I looked down and tears started to rise. "Toby...I'm so sorry..." I whispered.

Slender put a hand on my shoulder and his voice echoed in my mind only. " _Do not blame yourself. You didn't know_."

I nodded slowly and let my head raise.

"We have to get them back," Jeff said. "We can't let them do anything to hurt them."

"I wouldn't forgive myself if they hurt Sally," L.J. said. "I left her to that book. I played with her for a while, then left her alone when she said she wanted to read. I feel so stupid."

"Let me help get Toby," I spoke up. "I shouldn't have split up from him."

Slender shook his head. "No. Faith, then we'd be taking their bait."

"Slender's right, Faith," Ben said. "They want you. You have to stay here, so we can keep you safe."

"But-"

Slender held a hand up to silence me. "This is not up for discussion. I can't let you go."

I sighed, not wanting to waste time arguing.

"Ben, Jeff, L.J., E.J., and my proxies will go with me," Slender said. "The rest of you will stay here and keep yourselves safe. Understand?"

I nodded. "I'll let Masky and E.J. know."

 **Toby**

I woke up to the sound of loud music. I recognized it. Jeff used to play it. "Rollin'" by Limp Bizkit.

I looked around and saw an empty room. It was lit by a few lightbulbs, denying me the chance to laugh at the stupid typical dark room that made the victim panic. I doubted these guys even knew I couldn't feel pain, so torturing me wouldn't have an effect.

My wrists were chained above my head, and even though I tried to pull them free, they held firm.

I didn't hear anything else for a while. Then, after the song stopped playing, I heard someone crying. At first, it was unfamiliar, but it sounded like a little girl. Then the voice said something.

"Please," I heard her choke out. "I wanna go home. Just let me go home."

My heart skipped several beats. Not only had they gotten me, they took Sally too.

There was another voice. Lower, male, but it was inaudible, so I couldn't make out the words.

"No," Sally sobbed. "I wanna go back to Daddy Slender. Please, let me go. I don't like this."

 _I know, little Sally_ , Toby thought. _Don't you worry. I'll be there to help you soon_.

The door in front of me opened and Dr. Smiley stepped in. He had his usual bloodstained labcoat on, and the mask with the sharp-toothed grin etched into it. His black hair was a mess.

"Yo," I said. "Wanna tell me what I'm doing here?"

He didn't respond.

"Hello? Hey, why do you have Sally too? Talking to you!"

Smiley just looked at me. "You can't feel pain, right?"

I shook my head. "Nah, you got me confused with someone else."

Smiley picked up a file and flipped through it. "Tobias Rogers. Aka: Ticci Toby. Suffers from Tourette Syndrome, PTSD, schizophrenia, and C.I.P.A." He looked up at me and there was a smile in his voice. "A disorder that makes you immune to any sensation. Heat, cold, pain. You feel nothing."

I stiffened.

"So, then I thought, 'Why? Why kidnap and torture a person if they can't feel it?' But then I realized that just because I won't get to hear you scream, doesn't mean that your 'family'-" he put quotation marks around the word, "-would be any less worried about you."

I clenched my jaw.

"And even better," the fake doctor continued. "You get to watch as we take Sally and we make her suffer."

"You leave Sally alone," I growled.

Smiley laughed. "We don't take orders from you. We do what we want, under the direction of Zalgo. And soon, you will too."

 **A/N: Hey everyone! So sorry that I've been taking so long to post stuff! But here I am now so I'll be updating things more often now! Please enjoy this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Slenderman**

I led my children to an area a safe distance from Zalgo's place, then turned to them. "You know what all of you must do?" I asked them.

Jeff nodded. "Sally's priority one, so the Jacks and I are going for her. You guys are gonna hopefully cause a distraction so we can get Sal and Toby out."

I nodded. "Alright. Everyone ready?"

I saw Hoodie and Masky nod, and L.J. clench his fists. He still felt guilty for leaving her alone.

"Let's go," E.J. said quietly. He, Jeff, and L.J. disappeared behind the trees.

My proxies and Ben nodded to me, and I led them around to the front.

The door was shut and locked, and Hoodie and Masky hid on either side of the door, ready to attack if needed. I rapped my knuckles on the door loudly.

I expected to find one of Zalgo's allies opening the door. But instead, he himself opened it.

"Well, dear old friend, the Slenderman." His voice portrayed enthusiasm as a sly smile crossed his lips. "I see you have gotten my email."

"Let Sally and my proxy go, now," I demanded.

Zalgo only laughed. "Or you'll do what? Kill me? You can't, fool."

He turned and nearly shut the door in my face, but I jammed it with my foot. The smile on his face faded, and I felt satisfaction swarm me.

"I said," I began with a clenched jaw, "let. Them. Go."

Zalgo snarled, and my proxies jumped out of hiding. Ben stepped out and shot Zalgo with a stun gun. Normally, it would have had no effect, but he had powered it with enough voltage to kill an entire ballroom of mortals. Zalgo froze and collapsed.

We moved in just as the Skin Taker and Sonic .exe rushed in. I left them to Ben and Masky, while Hoodie followed me upstairs. I reached out to Toby with my mind.

" _Toby_ ," I thought, pushing it into his mind. " _Are you conscious_?"

"Yeah," came the reply. "Not in good condition, but yeah."

I nodded to myself, then told Hoodie to search for him. Then I reached out to Jeff. " _Have you found Sally yet_?"

"Yeah. She's unharmed, thankfully. Tired, hungry, and scared, but she's okay."

Relief and pride flooded my body. My little baby was okay, and everything was going according to plan.

L.J. rushed out with Sally in his arms, Jeff and E.J. on his heels. Sally's cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes were red from crying. I told them to get out and go straight to the house, then went to where Toby was.

Hoodie had just gotten him down and Toby stumbled a little on his broken leg.

"Jeez," he said. "That looks like hell. It doesn't hurt, but I can't walk."

Hoodie supported him as they walked out too. I went to follow, then felt something sharp pierce my back. I cried out and stopped in my tracks.

Hoodie turned round and shouted my name. I told them to run as I felt my new wound start to ooze blood.

That was the last thing I did before the blackness of unconsciousness forced my vision to fade and my body to fall.

 **Hoodie**

I turned when I heard Slender cry out. I saw the tip of a sword sticking out of his abdomen.

Panic instantly gripped me. I called out to him, but he looked at me with his featureless face and said, "Run."

I lifted Toby onto my back and ran with him out of the mansion, catching up with my brother and Ben quickly. We all ran out of the place and headed back home.

 **Jane Everlasting**

The front door opened, and I scoped it out. Jeff, the Jacks, Ben, Sally, and the proxies stepped through, but Slender wasn't with them. Toby was injured, and Sally was asleep.

"Where's Slender?" I asked.

Hoodie looked at me. "Zalgo got him," he said somberly.

Ben looked down. "My stun gun was supposed to put him down for several hours, but it only worked for about two minutes."

I cursed. "We have to go back and get him."

"I'm going too," came a voice from upstairs. I turned to find Faith standing there, jaw set and fists clenched in determination. I could tell she wasn't gonna change her mind.

"Faith, it's too dangerous. If they got their hands on you, they could hurt you. I don't want to take that risk." L.J. walked to her, Sally still sleeping in his arms. "None of us do."

"I don't care," she said, shaking her head. "You can't change my mind. I'm going."

Nobody tried to argue. Faith nodded.

"Okay," Jeff said. "I think we should have Jane, E.J., and L.J. stay with Sally and Toby."

"To hell with that," I said. "I'm going to help save Slender."

"Jane, Zalgo's too powerful. He could kill all of us. Plus, you're a girl wearing a dress."

I fumed. "What does that have to do with anything?! Who was the one that put me in this condition again? I'm going with-"

"Would you both just put aside your little feud and focus on the problem?!" Toby shouted. "For once, can you be mature?!"

"Me? Immature?" I laughed mockingly. "Toby, no offense, but shut the hell up."

Toby glared. He started shouting insults at me, and I shouted back, then everyone began shouting at once.

"Enough!"

We all looked at the source of the voice in stunned silence. Sally had woken up from her sleep and was now staring at us with a stern, serious expression.

"Don't fight," she said. "We have to save Daddy Slender before he gets hurt. I know I can't go, so I choose who stays."

"Obviously I'm staying with Toby," E.J. said, gesturing to Toby's injured legs. "He kinda needs those."

Faith tapped her white gem and pressed her finger against the bruising. Toby cried out as the bones painfully repaired themselves, then stood steadily and grinned.

Sally nodded. "Okay, Hoodie and L.J. and Ben stay with me. Everyone else goes. Who's gonna lead us?"

We all started arguing again. The Jacks said Faith should. Faith said I should. I agreed. Jeff said Toby should lead because he's a proxy.

"Perhaps I can settle this?" came a voice from the stairway. We all looked up to see Faith's brother Casey standing there. "I took a look at Slender's mind. He wants all of you to work together and stay safe."

"Not an option," I said.

"We're going to save him," Masky added.

Casey nodded. "I know this. So I visited him. He was unconscious, so I had to get inside his head. He wants you to lead, Jeff."

Jeff would have blinked if he was able to. "Me?"

"Him?" I asked.

Casey nodded. "Jeff, you may be reckless, but Slender puts his trust in you. He knows that in a dire situation, you'll make necessary choices and take the risks as needed."

Faith smiled at him. I grumbled under my breath. Everyone else nodded.

Jeff stood up straighter and gave me a smug head tilt. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Okay," Jeff said, his moment of pride passing. "We need to formulate a plan. I'm not as swift as Slender, but I know Zalgo won't kill him. We have time to save him."

We all went to the kitchen table and discussed our plan of attack.

 **Slenderman**

My vision was blurred at first, but once it cleared, I realized I was in a cold, yet brightly lit room, sitting in a chair, my hands and ankles chained to it. The chains were magic-binding. I expected that from them. Zalgo may be crazy, but he was still smart. I couldn't teleport away.

My entire body felt heavy, my abdomen hurt. I looked down at where I had been stabbed and saw a crudely stitched wound. It was clearly the work of Doctor Smiley. It made me think about E.J. I suddenly missed my children and hoped to the high heavens that they had all gotten home safe.

The door opened, and Zalgo strode in with an air of confidence and calm. He looked at me and smiled.

"How delightful," he said mock cheerfully. "You're awake."

"Release me, Zalgo. You're wasting your time."

Zalgo paced the room in front of me as he continued to speak. "No, I'm not. I may not be able to kill you yet, but without you to lead them, your family is helpless. They'd do anything to bring you back."

I clenched my fists.

Zalgo smirked. "You know this just as well as I do, don't you? You know they're all going to fall without you. You know they will fail."

"You're wrong!" I shouted, jerking against my restraints. "My children are stronger than you know! They will succeed! And when the war comes, you shall never take my goddaughter away from me again!"

"And that, my dear Slenderman, is where you are wrong," he replied calmly with a slight head tilt.

His words repeated in my mind. _You know they will fail._ If I could cry I would be right now.

The door opened and Smiley stepped in. "Sir, the prisoner won't speak. He's just being much too stubborn."

Zalgo's sly smile returned to his face. "Bring him in then. I want to see if I can get what I need from Slenderman through him."

My mind spun as Smiley left the room and returned quickly with Jeff limping in front of him. He had been bound and gagged, blood nearly covering him from head to toe.

"Jeffery!" I yelled in surprise and fear. Smiley threw him onto the ground, and I heard a sob escape Jeff's throat. It was muffled by the gag but I could hear it slice through the silence like a mental knife.

"Jeff, are you alright? Say something!" I pleaded.

Jeff looked at me and Zalgo removed the gag. Jeff shook his head. "I'm sorry, Slender," he said softly, painfully. "They got me and they're going for the others. I tried to stop them."

"It's alright," I said. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this."

Jeff nodded. "Yeah. We always do."

Zalgo kicked him and he cried out in pain. I winced. Jeff curled up and wheezed, then spat blood. My stomach coiled in anger.

"There is no way out now, you idiot," Zalgo sneered, kneeling down and grabbing Jeff's hair and pulling it back. He yelled as his head was yanked up sharply.

"Haven't you done enough to him?" I growled.

Zalgo looked at me, and a smirk curled on his lips. He dropped Jeff's head, then stood straight again. "You're right," he said calmly. "You were my prime target anyway."

Smiley shoved the gag back in Jeff's mouth as Zalgo strode towards me. The shadows coiled around him, lashing out at me, taunting me, making my heartbeat rise.

"It's time I taught you not to mess with me, Slenderman," he said, his voice starting to change into that of his demon's form. "Now, I'm going to make your life hell. Kill him, Smiley."

"NO!" I screamed, but it was too late. Zalgo slit Jeff's throat and his blood spilled on the carpet. But as soon as it hit the ground, it evaporated and left behind a sulfurous scent. Jeff's body darkened until he was nothing more than a black figure. It wasn't Jeff.

"You tricked me!" I shouted angrily at Zalgo. "You tricked me with a shapeshifter!"

Zalgo laughed deeply. "I'm stunned you did not see through it sooner. I didn't think it would have been so easy to trick you. I suppose you learn something new every day about everyone. Especially your closest enemies."

I didn't respond.

Zalgo gestured and the shadows lashed out and sliced at me. I screamed as my skin was slashed and starting to bleed.

The shadows curled and writhed inside my skin. I screamed louder as my muscles were cut and torn from the inside out.

Zalgo's smile widened as he wiggled his fingers, twisting the shadows and smothering my lower body in black. The inky tendrils of blackness moved slowly upward, immobilizing my body.

"I'm going to have so much fun making you my puppet, Slenderman. I've been waiting for this opportunity my whole life."


	11. Chapter 10

**Jeff**

I kept the team of seven close to home. I figured going back to the mansion again would not only be dangerous but a little cliche. So we hunkered down around the trees and bushes maybe five yards from our mansion.

With Ben, the Jacks, and the proxies with me, I thought we'd do okay. But what I really wanted was Slender here leading us. It took the whole night to plan our strategy and we were all exhausted. But we had to stay sharp. I suppose our fear kept us awake.

I heard a noise ahead, and Ben raised his bow. We all held our breath.

Slender stepped out of the shadows. His suit was ragged and torn, and he was limping. Blood soaked his body, but he looked alright.

"Slender!" Toby grinned, standing. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

Slender made no response.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

Not a word. Something didn't feel right. I was sure we all had a strange feeling that we were being watched. But before we could say another word, a wave of static brought us all down to our knees. I cried out and held my head in my hands. The pain was incredible. I watched as Slender slowly strode past us, straight for the mansion. His movements were spasmodic, stiff and jerky.

"He's being...possessed!" I heard Masky shout over the static. "Zalgo...he did something...to his body!"

 _Jeffery! Ben! Someone!_

I heard the voice break through the wave of pain. Slender's voice. He _was_ in trouble.

"Try to...block it out!" I slowly stood up, and somehow, the pain gradually lessened. Zalgo must have thought he'd incapacitated us. The others followed suit. We all hurried to the mansion as quick as we could. Faith, Jane, Sally, and Clockwork were still in there.

 **Sally**

Me, Faith, Jane, and Clocky were all in Jane's room, trying to stay quiet. The others were out waiting for Zalgo to attack.

Faith looked real scared. She kept checking outside the window. I was scared too, but she looked even worse.

"Faith, come sit down," Jane said. "Pacing isn't going to to anything but stress you out more."

"Why does this have to be about me?" Faith asked. "Why me?"

Clocky shrugged. "Did your parents have anything special about them?"

Faith shook her head. "Not that I know of. I'm just tired of it being all me. Why can't they be chasing...Jane?"

"Hey," Jane cried.

"Well, honestly you'd have to ask your parents. They're the ones that would know."

"Guys," Faith said. "It's Slender. But something's wrong."

I went to the window and stood beside Faith. Sure enough, Daddy Slender was there, but when he looked up at us, I felt cold. Something was definitely not right. I was suddenly very scared.

He was walking stiffly, and his movements were strained. Like he was trying to resist something.

"He's being controlled," Clocky said. "Faith, hide with Sally."

Faith nodded, picked me up, and ran out of the room. We went to my room, where she and I crawled under my bed. I covered my mouth to keep myself from crying as I heard the door being slammed open. I saw Faith clenching and unclenching her jaw, wanting so badly to hit something.

"Go," I whispered.

Faith shook her head. "I'm staying here with you."

"Won't that just lead the bad guys to me too?"

Faith seemed to ponder this. "Okay, but do not move. Don't make a sound unless it's a scream for help."

I nodded and hid deeper in the dark shadows under my bed.

 **Zalgo**

In the comfort of my throne, I watched Slenderman move toward the mansion, nothing standing in his way. Everyone else was down, trapped in a painful wave of static in their brains, of which they have little. Trying to stop me? What foolish children.

The thought made me laugh. It all seemed so silly. They all try so hard.

"Can I ask you something, Your Eminence?" Dr. Smiley asked to my left.

I rolled my eyes, the smile sliding from my face. "What?"

"With all due respect, sir, why are we doing this now? Why not wait the remaining three months, until the war?"

 _Wow,_ I thought. _An actual intelligent question._

Smiling again, I answered. "My dear doctor, we do this to weaken them down. Once they get their precious Slenderman back, we'll stop. But on the day of the war..." I let my voice trail off, allowing myself a cruel chuckle.

Sonic .exe sighed. "I just wish the war was here already. I wanna be out there."

"Patience, my faithful proxy," I said gently, watching Slenderman bust the door open. "You will have your chance."

He went quiet, nodding and tapping his foot on the ground.

I smiled as I saw Jane's body hit the floor in an unconscious heap. _Now Slender..._ I thought to myself. _Imagine this hell multiplied by a million. That's what you'll feel when we take MY goddaughter back from you._

 **Faith**

I ran down the stairs, tapping my red gem and summoning a ball of fire into my hand. I didn't want to hurt Slender, the only family I had left, but Zalgo has declared war much too early, and odds are he's going to force me to hurt him. So I steeled myself, pushing my weakness down.

I threw my fireball, but Slender raised his arm and a wall of tendrils blocked it and diffused my flame. I cursed, tapped my red gem on one hand, and my yellow gem on the other, then put my hands together and formed a move I called "Fire Cyclone". I aimed the blast at Slender, prying the wall open and burning Slender's arm.

He didn't make a sound as he held his arm to his chest and stepped back.

Clockwork jumped in, swinging her knives at him. A few of them connected with his arms, slicing through his suit and drawing blood. Slender returned the attacks with a few of his own, jabbing and smacking at her with his sharp tendrils.

I threw another Fire Cyclone, which hit him in the leg and knocked him back more. I apologized silently as Clockwork jumped back in. But he was prepared this time. He threw his tendrils out, smacked her in the chest, and threw her back several feet, her back slamming into the dining room table and knocking over some chairs. She hit her head on the tiled floor and didn't get up.

I summoned a wave of water from the blue gem on my left hand and splashed it onto him, then without missing a beat, I tapped my gold gem on my right hand and splayed my palm, throwing a lightning bolt and electrocuting him. Slender stiffened, then fell to the ground, convulsed for a moment, then went still.

I rushed to Jane, who was finally starting to recover from the static wave she caught.

"You alright?" I asked, pulling her to her feet.

She nodded. "Where's Sally?"

"Upstairs. I got Clockwork. You go get Sally."

I hurried to go get her, while Jane stayed downstairs to check on Clockwork and Slender. I found Sally still under her bed.

"Is Daddy Slender okay?" she asked, her voice breaking a little.

"Yes, Sally," I smiled. "He's just resting. I'm sure he's just fine now."

Sally nodded and crawled out, and we both went downstairs and saw Slender slowly start to wake up. Jane and Clockwork were ready to attack if needed. I kept Sally behind me.

Slender looked up and raised his arms. "Don't attack me, children," he said weakly. "Please. I am back to normal now."

I heard Sally choke back a sob, then run to him and hug him hard. "I...got scared," she cried into his shoulder.

"I know, my child," he whispered soothingly. "I'm sorry."

"Thank god," Clockwork said with a sigh.

Just then, I saw the boys running up to the porch, weapons drawn and ready to attack. But they calmed down when they saw Sally shaking her head.

"What happened back there?" Jeff asked after we had gotten everything cleaned up. E.J. had immediately gotten busy treating Slender's burns and cuts, which didn't look like they caused too much damage.

Slender flexed the fingers of his injured arm, the one I burned. "Zalgo got ahold of me. Stabbed me and knocked me out," he explained. "Then used my already weakened body as a vessel for him to possess. Used me to attack you."

"Do you think it'll happen again?" I asked.

Slender shook his head. "I don't know."

"Well," L.J. said. "We only have two months until the war. It's possible."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"He won't," came my mother's voice as she faded into view. "He still needs to prepare his own army."

"Army?" Jeff, Ben, and Clockwork said simultaneously.

"Yes. Zalgo has an army of his own. One that greatly outnumbers yours. The vast majority of the members will be easily destroyed, for they are disposable, but they can be quite a nuisance."

"Who or what does he have on his side?" I asked, feeling my stomach twist.

"I cannot tell you. I'm forbidden."

"You must tell us, Lillian," Slender said.

"The Oracle won't allow me to." Mom shook her head. "But you must focus on your training. All of you."

"But first," I said. "I need you to explain."

"Explain what, my daughter?"

"Everything. How I ended up in this situation. Why Zalgo wants me."

Mom paused, then sighed. "I can only explain my half of the story. Only what I know."

Slender stood up. "Let's do this in my office."

Everyone else went about their business, while Slender teleported us upstairs. He sat down in his chair, Mom sat across from him, and I stood by the window.

"When I was a young girl, I wanted to be a proxy to a monster called Snake Eyes," she explained. "He was more powerful than Zalgo is right now. Slender and I met that way. We wanted the same thing. I liked his ability to keep calm in stressful, dangerous scenarios. He liked my lack of self-restraint. I was one of those energetic types. So we started hanging out more often. We became thick as theives.

"One night, Slender called me. He said he'd met someone he thought I would like. Your father. At first I just laughed and asked him if he was trying to set me up. But when I met him for lunch the next day, I found him quite charming. He was funny, calm, and gentle, while I was fiery and couldn't sit still. We were the perfect balance."

"So they started dating," Slender chimed in. "And years after they graduated from proxy school, they married and stayed in a small town. Because they were technically mortal, I could no longer visit. Our kind are not supposed to let humans see us."

"And then Casey and you came along," Mom spoke again. "But Slender never contacted me until you were born. He sensed the power you had, hidden inside you. He wanted to be your mentor so he could help you discover this power. I offered him the godfather position, knowing how well he worked with children, and he graciously accepted. That's why we used to visit him in the woods."

Mom paused, then sighed. "Your father should explain the rest."

She shimmered away, and within seconds, Dad appeared in her place. I gave him a smile and a nod, which he returned before heexplained his side of the story.

"I was trying to be a proxy to Zalgo. Once we met for the first time, we grew quite close. He thought I had wonderful potential to be a partner. Around that time, I met Lilly." He smiled lovingly. "The light of my life."

"Did Zalgo contact you after you had me?" I asked.

Dad nodded. "He could sense your power too. When I told him we'd already chosen someone to teach you, he wanted to replace Slender. I refused, and we fought. I hung up the phone, and that was it. Or so I thought."

"He killed you over that?" I asked.

Dad nodded. "Most crimes that you'll hear of are crimes of vengeance or jealousy or passion. Zalgo's was jealousy and vengeance. He killed us because of our power, which was then transferred to you in more ways than we knew. He wanted to use that power to destroy everything. Mortals included."

I didn't respond.

"So...all of this is our fault," Dad sighed. "I'm so sorry, Faith. If I had known what was going to happen..."

"It's okay Dad." I smiled at him. "You were just trying to protect me. I understand. And you guys don't have to worry. I have your gems, so I can kick some butt!" I held up my hands, brandishing the gems in my gloves.

 **Eyeless Jack**

"You aren't worried?" Clockwork asked me with a shocked expression.

"No," I said calmly, pulling a pair of freshly fried kidneys off the stove to snack on. "Because I know we'll win."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because..." I took a bite of the tender, seasoned meat, chewed it, then swallowed and looked at her with a serious glance. "I have faith in Faith."


	12. Chapter 11

**Jane**

Two more months until the battles began.

I sat in my room, reading a copy of _The Crucible_. Slender had suggested the play to me, saying it was quite interesting. Already in Act 3, I found myself immersed in the historical fiction. The vengeance, the accusations, and just the controversy, in general, was just so much fun to read.

I was so enthralled in my book that I did not notice Jeff at my doorway until he knocked. I looked up, surprised by his entry.

"You never come to my room," I told him.

He nodded solemnly. "I know," he said.

"Everything okay?" I asked, setting the book down.

Jeff sighed. "Can...Can I tell you a secret?"

I blinked, tilting my head. Behind the stupid, carved smile, I could feel the sadness in his eyes. He was going to confess something pretty big to me, I knew it.

"Come in. Close the door."

He did so, then came and sat in a chair across from my bed.

"Jane, I..." Jeff began, taking a deep breath and sighing. "I think...I'm falling for Faith."

I wanted to laugh. Big, tough, cocky Jeff the Killer was falling in love with Faith? It seemed almost laughable. But the look in his lidless eyes made it less laughable.

"Okay," I replied instead. "What makes you think so?"

"I..." He paused. He started to pick at his fingernails nervously.

Suddenly feeling a little worried about him, I leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. "I won't tell a soul," I told him.

"I...I have been thinking about her a lot more than usual," he said. "I-I find myself spacing out, and I'll be daydreaming of...us..." He trailed off.

Trying to ease the tension, I smirked and asked, "You thinking only impure thoughts there, Jeffy?"

He glared, shoved me playfully. "No, stupid. I think about us sitting by the creek by the mansion, just talking and laughing and..." Jeff curled his fingers gently when he said this, "...and holding hands."

I suddenly saw something that made my heart hurt. I saw the innocent child, the child that was replaced by a monster way too soon. And he was just beginning to show his face again.

Jeff sighed. "But it'll probably never happen."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Two reasons. One, I'm too afraid to tell her. Two, she probably wouldn't want to be with someone as awful as me. Look at me, Jane. I don't exactly look like a magazine model."

I had to laugh. "No. No you aren't. But do you think that matters to her?"

Jeff shrugged.

"And why come to me? Why not go to E.J.? Or Slender?"

"Because besides Slender, you know Faith best." He looked at me with something I never thought I would ever see in his eyes. I saw desperation. Hope. Emotion I never thought possible in Jeffery Woods.

"You're her best friend. Jane, I...I need your advice."

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"I want to find out what she wants in a guy. I know you still see me as a ruthless killer, and I know you still hate me, but I just want to know. She brings out the softer side of me. And I..." He looked down.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I just want to make her smile. She doesn't smile a lot anymore, and it worries Slender and me a bit."

"Well," I started, "try little things to start with. Compliment her. You know, 'I like your hair' or 'You have pretty eyes'. Things like that. Get comfortable around her. Faith likes to mess around sometimes too. When she's in a good mood, she loves to get silly."

Jeff nodded.

"But I swear to Zalgo, you break her heart, I'll kill you myself."

He nodded again. "I don't have any plans to hurt her."

Despite my grudge against him, I smiled. "That's it, I guess. Everything else you figure out yourself."

He stood up, sighed, and extended his hand. "Thanks Jane."

I was stunned by the friendly gesture, but I shook his hand anyway.

"I hope this...truce...will last until after the war," he said.

I nodded slightly. "As much as I don't like the thought of a truce, I suppose I can hold off on wanting your blood spilled."

He left my room, and I actually hoped things would work out between him and Faith. I really did want Faith to be happy, and Jeff had better try his damndest.

* * *

 **Faith**

The room around me was dim, due to the blindfold I had over my eyes. My wings were tucked into my back, and I held a wooden staff in my hand. I listened closely for the sounds of Slender's presence. I inhaled deeply through my nose, trying to smell something coming towards me. I waited patiently for him to strike.

I heard something to my right, turned to it, lunged and swung the staff. Whatever was there had vanished quickly, because I heard the staff connect with a wall.

I cursed silently, took a couple steps back.

Another sound, this one closer. I swung again. Nothing but air.

"Your movements are still choppy," Slender said in my mind. "You're not focused enough. You're still tense."

I tried to relax, to focus on my breathing, and to trust my ears.

I stood completely still, trying to gauge where he could be.

Another sound, and a slight breeze to my left. He was moving right.

I swung the staff in that direction, and felt it connect. I heard a soft grunt. I swung again, but missed. He caught the staff on the third swing and yanked me closer to him. His palm hit my jaw, snapping my head back. I cried out in pain.

"Be unexpected," he continued. "Swing in the same place too often and Zalgo will take your head off."

I nodded. I fell back into my relaxed state for several seconds, then heard him again. Instead of swinging high, I ducked down and swung low, tripping him. I heard Slender hit the ground, and I brought the staff down. It must have been his head that I had hit. I straddled him, batting his hands away when they reached for my throat, and tapped the gold gem on my glove.

"This is gonna sting," I warned as my hand began to tingle with the electricity. I pressed it down into his side, felt him jerk a little. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it would definitely feel like a taser. While he was stunned, I held the staff in both hands like a sword and tapped one end on his chest, as though I has stabbed him. A couple seconds of silence, then he spoke.

"Even when blind, you still have to be able to hit the heart," he said, taking my blindfold off my head. I looked down at where my sword would have hit, and I was unfortunately slightly off. Instead of the heart, I would have hit a lung, and that would only piss off my enemy.

"Damn. If I can't do that, then I'll probably end up having a premature death," I sighed.

"And that would be very bad for both of us."

I nodded. "So work on trusting my body when my eyes fail me, especially when landing a killing blow."

"That is correct, child."

We both stood and went back inside the mansion for a break. I was sweating, and I still could taste blood from where I bit my tongue when he hit me. I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it as Slender made lunch.

"We only have a couple months," I said somberly.

Slender sighed and nodded. "Yes, I know. It's a scary thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah. You know, ever since I was a kid, I feared death."

"A natural fear, I'm sure."

"I guess so. But I was really afraid of it because of the whole reincarnation mumbo-jumbo. I used to think about the possibilities of coming back as a slave back in the 1800s."

Slender turned around, seeming to give me a weird, yet frightened look. "My goodness! Why would you ever think of that?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea. But the thought of being whipped daily always gave me chills and a sinking feeling in my stomach, and it made me cry a few times. I felt deep sympathy for the slaves back then."

He shook his head and went back to the sandwiches he was preparing. Just then, E.J. and Sally came into the kitchen.

"You're bruised." E.J. points to my chin, where Slender's palm hit.

I nodded. "I made a mistake in today's lesson, and it cost me."

Slender picked up Sally and put her on his shoulders. Because of the height of the mansion's ceilings, Sally couldn't hit her head if she tried.

"Your gems?" E.J. asked.

I held up my hands, showing him my gloves. "Just finished sewing in the purple one again. It fell out."

"What about the black one? I don't see it on you."

"I am not using that one. Ever."

"Why not? Is it because of what happened the first time?"

I nodded.

"Well, that's why we practice with it," Slender chimed in. "You need to be a little more confident. You have to control the power, not let it control you."

"You need to make yourself its boss," E.J. continued.

I remembered how cold those shadows felt. I could still hear that voice in my head. **_You let us in, but your mind and soul are weak_ _..._** The words still sent a chill down my back.

"I can't," I said. "I'll slip up, and they'll consume me."

"We will not force you, my child," Slender said, walking towards me and handing me a turkey sandwich. "But you must at least think it over."

* * *

 **Slender**

I retreated into my study after I finished training with Faith. She's improved greatly over the last couple years, and I was proud to see the change.

"She's doing much better," came Casey's voice from behind me. I turned to see him sitting in the chair across from my desk. "Mom and Dad are real proud of her."

I sit down, lovingly staring at the small photograph of my goddaughter and Sally, all dressed up for tea time, smiling broadly. Faith and Sally had the photo developed five months prior as a birthday present for me. "I know," I sighed.

"What is it, Slender?"

I ran a hand over my head, sagging. "I'm afraid to lose her, Casey."

Casey nodded. "I understand that. I can't tell you you won't, because I don't know for sure. But you guys seem to have taken necessary precautions, so your chances of losing her are looking slim."

I slumped back in my chair like an exhausted businessman. "I know Zalgo is building up his army. And he's building it up fast. I just don't know if we can stop him before he can take us down."

"Bad idea," Casey said. "The next time he grabs you could be worse than the first."

"You're right," I conceded.

"Best thing to do is keep preparing."

I rubbed my temples. "Alright. If there's truly nothing that can be done, then I guess all we can do is wait."

Casey frowns apologetically. "Afraid so."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone. Thanks for sticking with me. Part Three is coming up next. And now we'll get to the goods. Will Faith survive? Will she die and will she return to her proper family? What could possibly happen? Stay tuned.**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I am so so so so sorry about not updating in so so long! I will not waste time with excuses, so without further ado, here is part 3!**

 **Part 3: "You must decide…"**

 _Faith Underwood_

I was hanging from the ceiling by my wrists. The room around me was blurry, and nothing was focusing. I could feel metal on my wrists holding me up, but everything else felt numb. My back did feel...wet?

Finally, the room focused. I inhaled sharply as I was hit with the sudden brightness. I groaned a little and looked around. I was back in my bedroom at Zalgo's mansion.

And in front of me, on a surgical table were my wings.

The wetness on my back was blood.

The numbness faded with the realization, and the pain flooded my body. My groans turned to panicked and agonized screams. Someone had cut my wings off my back.

I heard Zalgo's laughter in my room. "You're mine now, little fairy!" he shouted.

The next thing I felt were hands on my shoulders, shaking me. I screamed in protest, thrashing around and screaming…

...then my eyes opened and I was back in my room, in my bed, in Slender's mansion.

"Faith!" Jeff was shaking me awake. "Faith! You alright?"

I was soaked in sweat and tangled in my sheets. My breathing was shallow and heavy.

"Hey," Jeff said, taking me into his arms as I trembled violently. "What happened?"

I stammered as I spoke. "Z-Zalgo...h-he had taken m-my wings…" I sighed. "I was scared."

"I could tell by the way you were screaming."

I looked up at him. "How long have...you been in my room?" I asked.

Jeff paused, and I could almost see the heat rise to his cheeks. "I...U-Um…"

I couldn't help but laugh. It was shaky, but it was still a laugh. "Have you been here all night?"

"No! N-No, I haven't!" he cried, more flustered now.

I giggled. "I'm not mad, just surprised."

"I just...was um…"

"Jeff, it's no big deal. Honest. I'm just glad you're here." I hugged him.

He returned my embrace and sighed heavily. "Let's get downstairs. Slender has breakfast ready. He made pancakes, eggs, and bacon today."

I looked up at him again and grinned. "Chocolate cheesecake?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Yup."

I jumped out of bed. "Get out and let me get changed, I will be down in a few.

 _Slender_

I panicked when I heard Faith's screams, but Jeff was already halfway up the stairs by the time I put down the pan I was holding. When the screams stopped and there were no other sounds, I was even more panicked. I listened for sounds upstairs, then heard a laugh. Faith's laugh. I sighed in relief. _Thank goodness_ , I thought.

A couple minutes later, Jeff and Faith were downstairs eating breakfast. All was peaceful and calm...eerily calm.

I tried to break the ice. "How's the food?" I asked.

Only a few murmured replies.

"What is going on?" Faith asked. "Why is everybody-"

"Tomorrow is your birthday, Faith," E.J. said.

"More like your death day," Clockwork murmured, and Jane elbowed her ribs.

Faith went quiet. Her eyes were cast on her half-eaten plate of food. I pitied the poor child. Nobody should have to feel this way on their birthday.

"Eyeless Jack is right," came the voice of Lillian from the kitchen. Faith's mother stepped into the room, looking just as somber as the rest of us. "Tomorrow, you all must fight for Faith's life."

Jeff tightened his grip on his fork, clenching his jaw tight. "I hate this..." he growled.

"We all do," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But this was meant to happen."

Silence fell at the table for a while. Then Faith stood up and walked out of the room, towards the outside training room.

One by one, everyone went back to eating. I, however, went and followed Faith.

I found her sobbing in the training room, up high in the rafters. "Faith, dear?" I called. "Please come down."

Faith unfurled her wings and slowly fluttered down, sniffling and wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Sorry, Slender..."

I took the poor girl into my arms and hugged her tight. "Shh, my child. I am here now."

"I'm scared, Slender."

"I know. I am too."

I held her there for a few moments while she calmed down. When I released her, she sat cross-legged on the floor and looked up at me.

"I had an awful nightmare," she said softly.

"What? You did?" I asked. "What about, child?"

"Zalgo. He had taken my wings right off my back. There was so much blood. And I heard his voice. 'You're mine now, little fairy'. I was so frightened."

 _That explained the screams_ , I thought. "Oh, you poor dear." I knelt in front of her. "We will not let him do that."

"I know, Slender."

 _Jeff_

"You are taking this harder than all of them," Lillian said. "Is there something I should know?"

I was outside, walking with Smile when she appeared next to me. I shook my head. "No, ma'am."

"Jeffrey, you can tell me. I may be Faith's mother, but I care for all of you just the same." She stood in front of me. "Please talk to me."

I took a breath, then opened my mouth to tell her I was fine. But then I stopped and sighed.

"Mrs. Underwood," I said slowly, "I am in love with your daughter."

Lillian was taken aback. "Really?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

I nodded and swallowed hard. "But she doesn't know yet."

"Why not?"

I kicked the dirt with my shoe. "I'm...too scared to tell her."

She laughed. "Oh Jeff, you must tell her!" She took my chin in her hand, her smile warm and motherly. "She will never know if you don't tell her."

I nodded. "But what if she rejects me?"

She shook her head. "My daughter may not reject you, but if she does, you have me to come to if you feel sad."

"I'll tell her," I said. Then I added, "Eventually."

 _Zalgo_

"Tomorrow will be the day, Slenderman," I said to myself. "The day you lose."

I smiled as I looked out my window to the top of the hill where Faith would have to die. Once she dies, she will take on my mark as _my_ proxy, and together we will burn this world.

"Sir?" came a voice from my door, snapping me from my fantasy.

"What?" I snapped, looking over to see the Sonic glitch.

"We're short on shapeshifters."

"How short?"

He hesitated for a moment, reluctant to tell me. "A-About 1,000."

I growled in the back of my throat, satisfied to see the proxy flinch a bit.

"Fine," I sighed. "It won't matter. Now go," I ordered.

He bowed and departed, and I allowed myself a chuckle. This was it. We were ready.

 _Faith_

I came back to the mansion as the sun started to set. The day had passed too quickly. I didn't want it to be over so fast.

"I never thought I would say this," I said aloud. "But I hate my birthday."

"Aww, sis, don't be like that. It won't be all bad." Casey materialized beside me.

"I'm not worried about me, though," I told him. "I'm worried about Jeff and Toby."

"They're worried about you too, Faith. But hey, you just fight your hardest. Remember, only one life is cost."

"I know...but they were really upset."

"I get it. You're scared. But sis, you can handle this. It'll be okay."

I smiled and embraced my brother tightly.

"You're all going to be okay," he assured me. "Now get up to bed. It'll be dark soon, and you need all your rest."

I nodded and he smiled. Instead of walking to my room, I went around the back. Slender had placed Sally in a small bunker hidden outside. There, he assured us, she would be safe.

I stamped my foot on the lid to let her know I was coming in, then lifted it up and stepped down the stairs. The whole room looked like a replica of her bedroom inside the mansion. There were toys in little bins, a small refrigerator, and even a microwave. Most little girls shouldn't use one, but Sally was a good girl. She knew what to do.

She greeted me as I descended.

"I thought you could use a little company tonight," I smiled.

Sally beamed. "Thanks, Faith."

"You get enough to eat, sweetie?" I asked, knowing Slender would never let Sally go hungry.

She nodded. "I have plenty to eat for a whole week."

I knelt down and hugged her tight. "That's good."

She hugged me back. "Are you okay, Faith? Does Daddy Slender know you're down here?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to stay with you. And yes, Slender knows I'm here."

She nodded. "Okay. But I don't have a bed for you."

"That's fine, I'll sleep on the floor."

She hugged me again. "I love you, big sister Faith."

My eyes threatened me with tears, and I swallowed back a sob. She was just so innocent, a little slice of purity in this evil world.

"I love you too, little sister Sally."

 _Toby_

When I woke up the next morning, it was still dark. The sun hadn't dared peek its head over the horizon yet. I sat up in bed, stretching. I wanted to get the troops up now.

I jumped out of bed and opened my door. I opened everyone else's door, getting them all up and alert. Then I went to get Faith. She came out of the bunker, already awake. She was ready.

We all ate a short breakfast, then gathered weapons. I kept my hatchets with me, as well as a machete and an ax. I stole a glance at Clockwork, who had adorned herself with throwing knives and a double-edged sword and a handgun.

We all knew Zalgo would come soon, and he was coming with an army.

And nobody said it, but we were all terrified.

 _Jeff_

I was scared, but looking at Faith gave me a little hope.

She was clad in armor like the rest of us, with a bow and quiver of arrows at her back, a rapier at her hip, and knives in her boots. Her gem gloves were on, and I noticed she wore the black gem on a necklace. Maybe this would be when she used it.

Let's hope she can control it.

I couldn't wait for this to be over. Once it's over and she becomes a full member of Slender's family, then maybe I could finally tell her...that I...I loved her.

"You alright?" a voice asked. I looked up to see Jane with a couple revolvers in a belt about her dress and armor.

I nodded, not even realizing I had spaced out. "Just..." I trailed off.

She sat down beside me. "Me too," she admitted. "I'm not ready for this."

I sighed. "Me neither," I said. "But we've gotta stay strong."

She nodded. "For Faith?"

"For Faith."

 _Slender_

I watched my children get themselves ready for war. Everyone looked afraid, but they tried to hide it.

I too was afraid. But something about the scene playing out before me made me more confident than afraid.

I wasn't ready to face Zalgo, but I had no choice. Faith needed us to protect her. And I will not let any of my children die trying to save her.

Hoodie left the room after getting fully suited up. He returned a few minutes later, looking grim.

"Guys," he called, and the whole room fell silent.

"What is it?" E.J. asked.

"They're coming. They're cresting the hill right now. I've never seen so many shapeshifters."

Everyone went to the windows and the door, gazing out at the nightmare approaching.

A million shapeshifters, in their dark, inky forms, marched over the hill, followed by the proxies and Zalgo himself. Zalgo had taken his demon body, and I watched as tendrils snapped and flicked about his body.

I sighed. "This is it, my children," I said as strongly as I could manage. "They're here."


	14. Chapter 13

_Faith_

Slender led us to the battlefield. I looked up to see a big, glimmering shield form around the forest, covering its trees and clearings in a shimmering gold.

"This shield will prevent mortals from entering the forest, and from discovering any of you," my dad had explained to me earlier. "That way you won't have to worry about alerting unwanted attention."

Zalgo floated to the front of his lines and stood before Slender. "We don't have to fight like this, Slenderman," he said, a smile on his face and his eyes locked on me. "Just give me what's mine and-"

"Never," Slender growled. His aura was dark, angry.

Zalgo shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned around to face his army.

"Attack!"

All hell broke loose after that. The shapeshifters advanced on us, swiftly changing their forms to look like us, weapons and all.

I slashed at a false me with a knife, focusing myself on my copies. Others were doing the same, taking damage from the other copies. I notched an arrow in my bow and tapped my gold gem, filling it with electricity. When the arrow struck its target, the shapeshifter exploded into a pile of dust. The smell of sulfur was thickening the air around us.

"Faith, duck!" Ben's voice cried. I ducked, and was struck in the gut by a knee as I went down. The shapeshifter had tricked me, and I was too focused on my own copies to see the others suddenly changing. The Ben copy that spoke stabbed a dagger into my arm, making me scream in pain. Seconds later, that shapeshifter disintegrated and Jeff lifted me in his arms, carrying me away from the copies.

"Your white gem, quick!" he cried. I tapped the gem and pressed it against my wound. It closed painfully, but was healed in seconds.

Jeff set me down, and I unfurled my wings and lifted into the air. I notched three arrows, tipping them with a little fire, and released them from my bow. They collided with several shapeshifters, making them burst and sift into ashes.

But then I saw something else.

The ashes on the ground from the fallen shapeshifters were reforming.

 _Slender!_ I called. _The ashes are reforming. We have to vaporize the shapeshifters and blow away the ashes!_

 _Understood,_ came the reply. I flew down and fluttered my wings rapidly, blowing the ashes into the air. I thought that would take care of it. But I was wrong.

All the ashes just reformed in the air, creating a monstrously large black bird. It let out an ear-piercing cry and swooped down toward me.

 **Sally**

I heard the sounds of war above me, and I was afraid. I shivered in my bed and started to cry. My Daddy Slender was up there. What if he was hurt? I hoped that they were all okay.

There was a shimmering golden light, and Casey materialized in front of me.

"Hey there, kid," he said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "How you holding up?"

"I'm scared," I sniffled.

"I know, Sally, I know," Casey nodded.

"Is Daddy Slender okay?" I asked.

Casey nodded again. "Yes, he's fighting very well."

I sighed in relief.

"You're very brave, Sally," he continued.

"I am?" I was confused.

"You sure are. Staying down here by yourself and all. I know you're scared, but you're pretty darn brave to be going through all this."

I hugged my knees. "I don't feel brave."

Casey sat on the bed next to me.

"I know, kiddo," he said, patting my head. "But you're doing so well. Just hang on okay? Only two more days."

I nodded. Two more days. I could handle that.

 **Jeff**

The sun was starting to set, and Zalgo retreated his army. Once the last shapeshifter was gone, we all collapsed in a tent outside. Slender went to go see Sally and make sure she was okay. Faith was asleep the moment her head hit the ground.

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

Those who were awake only nodded. Many had been hit with wounds that would take longer to heal. E.J. was working with them.

We decided to take shifts. Every couple hours the three people left awake would wake three more. L.J., Masky and I took the first shift. We watched the stars for a while in silence.

I stole a glance at Faith, still sleeping. If it weren't for the occasional shifting and the steady rise and fall of her chest, I'd have thought she was dead.

"You okay?" Masky whispered.

I nodded. "Just worried about her," I whispered back. _And if she will accept me,_ I thought.

"I wouldn't worry too much," L.J. said. "She's grown so much. She's a living warrior now. She'll do what she must."

We all nodded.

 **Slender**

When I went to the bunker, Sally was asleep, an arm around her favorite bear, snuggled under the thick comforter. Lillian was sitting on the bed beside her, stroking her hair softly.

"She's been frightened," Lillian said softly, not wanting to wake her. "She's scared for you, Slender."

My heart melted in my chest. My poor little girl.

"But my husband, my son, and myself have been keeping her company. She's been doing just fine."

"She's such a brave child," I said, kneeling down and taking Sally's little free hand in my own. I looked at her peaceful face and almost wanted to cry. Even in the middle of this horrible time, she was still sleeping so soundly.

"Indeed she is," Lillian nodded. "You've raised her so well."

I stood up and checked her food supply. "Has she been eating?"

"Yes, regularly."

I nodded. She would still have plenty of food left after the war was over.

I said goodnight to Lillian and left the bunker, making sure it was sealed tight before making my way back to the camp.

 **Faith**

I stood at the top of the hill, looking around at the silent, empty forest below. This was it. I was to die here.

"My child," a voice said behind me. I couldn't tell who it was. But when I turned around, I didn't see anyone.

"See you soon," the voice repeated in my ear.

I looked down to see a sharp blade sticking out of my chest. I opened my mouth-

-and I woke up with a cry.

Toby, Ben, and Jane turned toward me and Jane rushed to my side. "Hey, you okay?" she asked.

I was covered in sweat and trembling. But I nodded and muttered, "J-Just a nightmare."

"What happened?" Toby asked.

I explained my dream to them as best I could, with some details already disappearing from my memory.

Jane hugged my shaking body. "That sounds terrifying," she said.

I nodded again.

"Well, get back to sleep, Faith," Toby told me. "Everything is okay here. You're not on watch for another couple hours."

I nodded, laid back down, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.


End file.
